Charles Roberts Ingersoll (September 16, 1821 – January 25, 1903) was an American lawyer and the 47th Governor of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

from 1873 to 1877.''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased during the Academical Year ending in June, 1903, including the record of a few who died previously, hitherto unreported'', Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut, 1903, pp. 216-8.

Early life

Ingersoll was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, son of Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll, a New Haven lawyer who also served in the state House of Representatives, the United States Congress, and as United States Minister to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and as the mayor of New Haven, and of his wife, Margaret, née Van den Heuvel. His paternal grandfather was Jonathan Ingersoll, a judge of the Supreme Court and

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

up until his death in 1823. His maternal grandfather was Jan Cornelis Van den Heuvel, a Dutch born plantation owner and politician who served as governor of the Dutch province of

Demerara Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state ...

from 1765 to 1770 and later became a merchant in New York City with the Dutch West India Company. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

at the age of nineteen in 1840. He visited Europe aboard the United States frigate '' Preble'', commanded by his uncle, Captain Voorhes, for two years, and returned to

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

, graduating in 1844.

Career

Ingersoll was admitted to the bar in 1845 and became the law partner of his father, and served as director of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. Ingersoll entered politics in 1846, serving as clerk of the Connecticut Assembly, a position he was reelected to in 1856, 1857, 1858, 1866, and 1871. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Connecticut in 1864. He served in the state legislature as a Democrat. Winning the 1873 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, Ingersoll was elected

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

in April 1873. He was reelected in 1874,

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

and April 1876, serving from May 7, 1873 to January 3, 1877. During his tenure, a state constitutional amendment was passed that lengthened the governor's term to two years. Also, the state endured a financial depression that took six years to recover from, and Hartford—which was a co-capital with New Haven—was finally chosen as the sole lawmaking center. Ingersoll did not run for reelection, and left office January 1877. He continued to practice law, trying cases on the state and federal levels and in the U.S. Supreme Court. He also was an organizer and vice president of the State Bar Association.

Personal life

Ingersoll was married to Virginia Gregory, the daughter of Admiral Francis Hoyt Gregory. They had six children. A daughter, Elizabeth, married George G. Haven, Jr. Ingersoll died January 25, 1903 (age 81 years, 131 days), in New Haven and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.

References

External links

* ''Biographical Encyclopaedia of Connecticut and Rhode Island of the Nineteenth Century'', Metropolitan Publishing and Engraving, New York, 1881, pp. 105–107.
The Political Graveyard
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ingersoll, Charles 1821 births 1903 deaths Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut Ingersoll family Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Yale College alumni Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Connecticut lawyers 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut