George Griswold Sill (October 26, 1829 – May 19, 1907) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who was the 57th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1873 to 1877.

Early life

Sill was born in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. P ...

. After preparatory studies at Ellington Academy, he attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

from 1848 to 1852 and was a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

. "This list is compiled from material from the Order of Skull and Bones membership books at

Sterling Library Sterling Memorial Library (SML) is the main library building of the Yale University Library system in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Opened in 1931, the library was designed by James Gamble Rogers as the centerpiece of Yale's Gothic Re ...

, Yale University and other public records. The latest books available are the 1971 ''Living members'' and the 1973 ''Deceased Members'' books. The last year the members were published in the ''

Yale Banner 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, ...

'' is 1969." He studied law and was admitted to the Hartford County Bar in 1856. When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

broke out, he organized the first company of Connecticut Volunteers in his office and went to the front. Sill was also the head of several large firms and corporations, serving as President of the Hartford Governor Company and Director of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company.

Political career

After voting Republican from the first vote he could cast, Sill changed parties to the Democrats in 1872, under the leadership of Horace Greeley. In 1873, he was nominated by the Democrats for the election for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut and won a large plurality. He served in four consecutive one-year terms, while

Charles R. Ingersoll Charles Roberts Ingersoll (September 16, 1821 – January 25, 1903) was an American lawyer and the List of Governors of Connecticut, 47th Governor of Connecticut from 1873 to 1877.''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University Deceased durin ...

was the Governor, from May 7, 1873, to January 3, 1877. These were the last one-year terms, changes in the Connecticut State Constitution made the terms for governor and lieutenant governor two years long from 1877 on, putting the election in November the year before and having the term start in January.Death List of a Day, George Griswold Sill
as above.

Later years

Sill was a

U.S. Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for Connecticut from 1888 to 1892.The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians
Sigars to Silon, Sill, George G. He died at his home on the night of May 19, 1907, following an attack of locomotor ataxia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sill, George G. 1829 births 1907 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut Yale College alumni United States Attorneys for the District of Connecticut Members of Skull and Bones