Chauncey Fitch Cleveland (February 16, 1799 – June 6, 1887) was an American politician, a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and the 31st governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Born in

Canterbury, Connecticut Canterbury is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 5,045 at the 2020 census. History The area was settled by English colonists in the 1680s as ...

, Cleveland attended the common schools and taught school from the age of fifteen to twenty. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1819 and commenced practice in Hampton. He was married, December 13, 1821, to Diantha Hovey (1800–1867); was married, January 22, 1869, to Helen Cornelia Litchfield.

Career

Cleveland was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut 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 each ...

from 1826 to 1829, 1832, 1835, 1836, 1838, 1847, and 1848, and served as its speaker in 1836 and 1838. He was

state's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

in 1832 and state bank commissioner in 1838. In 1841 he moved to

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

. Elected governor of the state by the Democratic party in 1842, and again in 1843, Cleveland was

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, ...

from May 4, 1842, to May 1, 1844. He then resumed the practice of law in Hampton. Elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses, Cleveland held office from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1853. Previous to the breaking out of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Cleveland had become affiliated with the Republican Party upon its organization. He was a strong supporter of the government during the war, and for several years thereafter he acted with that party. 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 ...

s of 1856 and 1860, and was a Presidential Elector on the Republican ticket in 1860. In 1861, he was a member of the Peace Congress held in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in an effort to devise means to prevent the impending war. Cleveland was again a member of the state house of representatives in 1863 and 1866, serving as speaker in the former year. He retired from public life and engaged in agricultural pursuits and the practice of law.

Death

Cleveland died in

Hampton, Connecticut Hampton is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populatio ...

in 1887, aged 88. He is interred at South Cemetery there.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland, Chauncey 1799 births 1887 deaths Connecticut lawyers Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Governors of Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut People from Canterbury, Connecticut 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly