Jonathan Sturges (August 23, 1740 – October 4, 1819) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician from

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...

. He represented

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

and in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

Early life

Sturges was born in Fairfield in the

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

where his father, Samuel (1712–1771) was a surveyor. His mother, Ann (Burr) Sturges was Samuel's second wife. His great-great-grandfather, also Jonathan Sturges (1624–1700), was one of the original settlers of the town. Sturges graduated from

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

in 1759. He earned his master's degree from Yale in 1761, and his

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

degree from Yale in 1806. He

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in May 1772. He began the practice of law in Fairfield.

Career

Sturges' entry into public service came when his neighbors in Fairfield sent him to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1772. He was returned every year until 1784. In 1773 he served Fairfield County as a justice of the peace, and in 1775 he served as the judge of probate court. Connecticut sent him as a delegate to the

in 1786. He served as a member of the Connecticut Council of Assistants from 1786 to 1788, and simultaneously served as a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1786 to 1789. When the new

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

government was formed, the voters elected him to the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

as a Pro-Administration Party candidate. He served two terms in Congress from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1793. Sturges was one of seven representatives to vote against the

Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was an Act of the United States Congress to give effect to the Fugitive Slave Clause of the U.S. Constitution ( Article IV, Section 2, Clause 3), which was later superseded by the Thirteenth Amendment, and to al ...

. Upon returning home, he was appointed an Associate Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, serving from 1793 until 1805. He was a presidential elector in 1797 and 1805. Sturges died at his home in Fairfield on October 4, 1819.

Personal life

In 1760 Sturges married Deborah Lewis. They had four children together. Their son, Lewis Burr Sturges, would follow his father in the U.S. Congress. Jonathan Sturges, an important arts patron in New York City, was his grandson.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: STURGES, Jonathan, (1740 - 1819)
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* ttp://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/jonathan_sturges/410501 Govtrack.us: Rep. Jonathan Sturges {{DEFAULTSORT:Sturges, Jonathan 1740 births 1819 deaths Continental Congressmen from Connecticut Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Yale College alumni Lawyers from Fairfield, Connecticut Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers Jonathan Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives