Henry Dutton (February 12, 1796 – April 26, 1869) was an American politician and the 38th Governor of Connecticut.

Biography

Dutton was born in Plymouth, Connecticut on February 12, 1796. He studied at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and graduated in 1818. While he tutored at Yale University from 1821 to 1823, he studied law with the Hon. Roger Minot Sherman. He also was principal at the Fairfield Academy for two years. In 1823 he was admitted to the bar. He married Elizabeth Elliot Joy and they had three daughters and one son.

Career

Dutton moved to

Newtown, Connecticut Newtown ( ) is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury area as well as the New York metropolitan area. Newtown was founded in 1705, and later incorporated in 1711. As of the 2020 census, its p ...

in 1823. He served in 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 ...

in 1828, 1834, 1838, 1839, and 1850. He moved to Bridgeport in 1837, and then to

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

in 1847 to accept the appointment to become Kent Professor of Law at Yale, a position he held until his death. He was also a member of 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. Se ...

in 1849. He served as President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate. He was the unsuccessful candidate for governor in

1853 Events January–March * January 6 – ** Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida. **U.S. President-elect ...

of the Whig Party. Dutton was elected Governor of Connecticut in 1854 becoming the last Whig to hold that office. Although he had finished second place to Democrat Samuel Ingham in the April popular vote, because no candidate received a majority, the state legislature decided the election. Dutton was elected by a vote of 140 to 93 in the state legislature (known as the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

). During his term, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill became law in May 1854, and a prohibition law was also enacted. In 1855, Dutton ran unsuccessfully for re-election and finished in third place behind both Ingham and the victor William T. Minor. He left office on May 2, 1855. After completing his term, he served on the bench of the Superior Court and the Supreme Court of Errors from 1861 to 1866.

Death

Dutton died on April 26, 1869, and is interred at the Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven,

New Haven County, Connecticut New Haven County is a county (United States), county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connectic ...

References

External links

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.
National Governors AssociationThe National Cyclopaedia of American Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutton, Henry 1796 births 1869 deaths Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Governors of Connecticut People from Plymouth, Connecticut Yale University alumni Yale University faculty Connecticut Whigs Whig Party state governors of the United States Presidents pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate People from Newtown, Connecticut Politicians from Bridgeport, Connecticut Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court 19th-century Connecticut state court judges 19th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly