Henry Waggaman Edwards (October 1779July 22, 1847) was an American lawyer, a Democrat, and the 27th and 29th governor of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

(1833–1834, 1835–1838). He previously served in both the U.S. Senate (1823 to 1827) and the U.S. House of Representatives (1819 to 1823).

Biography

Edwards 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 ...

, the son of Judge

Pierpont Edwards Pierpont Edwards (April 8, 1750 – April 5, 1826) was a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation and was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Education and career Born on April ...

and Frances Ogden. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1797, and earned a law degree from the

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...

. He married Lydia Miller on October 4, 1801, and they had seven children.

Career

Edwards became a lawyer, was active in Democratic politics, and was the

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Connecticut at-large from 1819 to 1823. He was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Elijah Boardman as a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

and served from Connecticut from 1823 to 1827. He served as a member of

Connecticut Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sen ...

at-large from 1828 to 1829. member of Connecticut state house of representatives from New Haven, in 1830, and the Speaker of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1830. He was elected

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 ...

in 1832, but was deprived of the office by a divided Assembly. Elected in

1833 Events January–March * January 3 – Reassertion of British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. * February 6 – His Royal Highness Prince Otto Friedrich Ludwig of Bavaria assumes the title His Majesty Othon the ...

, Edwards served as

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...

from May 1, 1833 to May 7, 1834. Unsuccessful in his bid for the office in 1834, he was returned to office in

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

and re-elected two more

times Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems. Time or times may also refer to: Temporal measurement * Time in physics, defined by its measurement * Time standard, civil time speci ...

, serving again from May 6, 1835 to May 2, 1838. During his tenure, a discriminatory education law was enacted, the railroad expanded, and the state funded a geological survey in 1835. When he did not win the Democratic party's nomination in 1838, he retired from public service.

Death

Edwards died in

, and is interred at

Grove Street Cemetery Grove Street Cemetery or Grove Street Burial Ground is a cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut, that is surrounded by the Yale University campus. It was organized in 1796 as the New Haven Burying Ground and incorporated in October 1797 to replace the ...

, New Haven,

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, Ne ...

References

External links

*
The Political GraveyardLitchfield Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Henry W. 1779 births 1847 deaths People from New Haven, Connecticut American people of English descent Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Connecticut Jacksonian United States senators from Connecticut Connecticut Jacksonians Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Jacksonian state governors of the United States Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party Connecticut state senators Burials at Grove Street Cemetery