Benjamin Douglas (April 3, 1816 – June 26, 1894) was an American politician, inventor, and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

who was the 50th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1861 to 1862.

Family

Douglas was born in

Northford, Connecticut Northford is a census-designated place (CDP) comprising the primary village and surrounding residential and rural land in the town of North Branford, Connecticut, North Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United ...

, on April 3, 1816. His paternal grandfather was an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

soldier, William Douglas. His first sixteen years were spent working on his parents' farm. In 1838 he married Mary Adaline Parker (born 1821), daughter of Elias and Grace Mansfield Parker. The following year his brother William married Mary's sister Grace. In 1850 he bought the former home of Thomas Mather, a Middletown businessman, on Maine Street in Middletown. This home, built between 1811 and 1813, is listed on the Connecticut Freedom Trail as an Underground Railroad stop. He had five children: John Mansfield (born 1839), Sarah Kirtland (born 1841), Benjamin (born 1843), William (born 1845), Benjamin (born 1849), and Edward (1854-1889).

Invention

In 1832 Douglas apprenticed to a machinist. Following his apprenticeship, and together with his brother William, he founded a machine shop and foundry in 1839. In 1842 his brother and he patented a hand pump design for use in farms, homes, and businesses. This was the first of many patents relating to pumps that became the basis of their successful manufacturing business W & B Douglas Company. They also made fire hydrants and hand fire pumpers. Their Middletown pump works occupied two acres and consisted of twenty one buildings. In 1876 the company employed 300 people and had over 700 products displayed at Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. The factory closed around 1923, and the buildings were razed in 1940. Many of their pumps remain in operation today.

Political career

As an adult, Douglas lived in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. He was a Republican and served in the state general assembly for several years. He was mayor of Middletown from 1850 to 1853. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

from Connecticut in 1856 and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln. Later, he was the lieutenant governor of Connecticut for a single one-year term, from 1861 to 1862, during one of the eight years that William A. Buckingham was governor of Connecticut. Douglas succeeded

Julius Catlin Julius Catlin (December 14, 1798 – April 23, 1888) was an American politician who was the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1858 to 1861. His estate was valued at $726,000 at his death in 1888, and was made a Colonel before entering ...

as lieutenant governor and his successor was Roger Averill, both of whom also served when Buckingham was governor.

Abolition

Benjamin Douglas was a founding member of the Middletown Anti-Slavery Society. In 1839 he was one of eleven members and the group met at his factory. His home is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad in Middletown. During his time as mayor of Middletown, he refused to comply with the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act.

Death

Douglas died at his home in Middletown on June 26, 1894.

References