John Samuel Peters (September 21, 1772 – March 30, 1858) was an American politician, a member of the

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

and later Whig parties, and the 26th

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, ...

Biography

Peters was born in

Hebron, Connecticut Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2020 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708. In 2010, Hebron was rated #6 in Top Towns in Connecticut with population between 6,500 and 10,000, ...

on September 21, 1772, son of Beneslie and Ann Shipman Peters. He worked on a farm, attended the district schools, taught school in Hebron in 1790, studied medicine under Dr. Benjamin Rush of Marbletown, N.Y., for six months and then under Dr. Abner Mosely of Glastonbury, Conn.; in 1796 attended lectures in Philadelphia, Pa., and practised in Hebron, from 1797 to 1837. He never married.

Career

Peters was town clerk for twenty years, judge of probate for the district of Hebron, and frequently a member of the state legislature. He received the votes of one branch of the state legislature in 1824, when Calvin Willey was elected. In 1810 he was elected to in 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 ...

and was re-elected in 1816 and 1817. He was a member of Connecticut Council of Assistants in 1818. He served in the

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 ...

from 1818 to 1823, and was a member of Connecticut House of Representatives from Hebron from 1824 to 1825. Peters became the 31st

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 1827. He became the Governor of Connecticut in March 1831, when Governor Tomlinson resigned from office. He was nominated and elected the Governor of Connecticut later in

1831 Events January–March * January 1 – William Lloyd Garrison begins publishing '' The Liberator'', an anti- slavery newspaper, in Boston, Massachusetts. * January 10 – Japanese department store, Takashimaya in Ky ...

, and was re-elected to a second term in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plant ...

. During his term, Connecticut's first railroads were authorized and private enterprise was promoted. He also advocated internal and educational improvements, but he was unsuccessful in securing the appropriate funding. He left office in 1833, after an unsuccessful re-election bid. He was a delegate to the Whig National Convention from Connecticut in 1839, and was the Convention Vice-President.

Death and legacy

Peters died on March 30, 1858 (age 85 years, 190 days). He is interred at St. Peter's Episcopal Cemetery,

. His large stone monument includes a bust of the governor. He was a fellow of the Tolland County Medical society; treasurer, vice-president and president of the State Medical society, and vice president of the Connecticut Historical Society. He received the honorary degree of M.D. from Yale in 1818, and LL.D. from Trinity in 1831. He was the nephew of clergyman

Samuel Peters Reverend Samuel Andrew Peters (1735–1826) was a Connecticut Anglican clergyman and historian. A nephew, John Samuel Peters (1772–1858), served as Governor of Connecticut 1831–33. Another nephew, John Thompson Peters (1765–1834) served as ...

and the cousin of Connecticut Supreme Court Justice, John Thompson Peters.

References

External links

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.
Ancestry.comConnecticut State Library

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, John Samuel 1772 births 1858 deaths Governors of Connecticut Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Hebron, Connecticut Connecticut National Republicans American people of Dutch descent National Republican Party state governors of the United States Connecticut Whigs 19th-century American politicians Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut Connecticut Democratic-Republicans