Gaylord Griswold (December 18, 1767 – March 1, 1809) was 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 ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Born in

Windsor, Connecticut Windsor is a New England town, 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, Connecticut, Hartford. The town is part of ...

, he pursued classical studies and graduated from

Yale College 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, ...

in 1787. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1790, commencing practice in Windsor. He moved to

Herkimer, New York Herkimer is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Herkimer County, New York, United States, southeast of Utica, New York, Utica. It is named after Nicholas Herkimer. The population was 9,566 at the 2020 census, down from 10,175 in ...

in 1792 with his friend

Thomas R. Gold Thomas Ruggles Gold (November 4, 1764 – October 24, 1827) was a United States representative from NYCongDel, New York. Biography Born in Cornwall, Connecticut, he pursued classical studies and was graduated from Yale College in 1786. He stu ...

, with whom he practiced law. Griswold was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 1796 to 1798. Griswold was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the Eighth Congress, holding office from March 4, 1803 to March 3, 1805. During his term Griswold played a leading role in drafting and passing the

Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution provides the procedure for electing the president and vice president. It replaced the procedure in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, under which the Electoral College origi ...

. During the 1804 election for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

between Morgan Lewis and

Aaron Burr Aaron Burr Jr. (February 6, 1756 – September 14, 1836) was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 d ...

, both

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

s, Burr actively courted the support of Federalists. Griswold authored a private letter advocating that Federalists support Burr, arguing that it was the best way to keep the Federalist Party viable for future elections. Griswold's letter was eventually made public, and appeared in an 1807 handbill accusing the Federalists of unseemly political intriguing, to the party's detriment. He resumed the practice of law in Herkimer, and died there March 1, 1809; interment was in Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griswold, Gaylord 1767 births 1809 deaths People from Windsor, Connecticut Yale College alumni New York (state) lawyers Members of the New York State Assembly Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Griswold family 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the New York State Legislature