Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (March 26, 1740 – August 7, 1809) was an American politician who served as the 20th governor of Connecticut, the second

speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. He is often confused with his younger brother,

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Rev ...

, a famous artist during the revolutionary war and early years of the United States.

Early life

Trumbull was born in Lebanon,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, the second son of Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (the eventual Governor of Connecticut) and his wife Faith Robinson, daughter of Rev. John Robinson. Trumbull graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1759, and gave the valedictory address when he received his master's degree in 1762. His brother

was a noted painter of the Revolution.

Career

State and local office

Carrying on the family's tradition of public service, Trumbull began with town and colony offices: lister, grand juror, surveyor of highways, justice of the peace, and selectman. In 1774 he was elected deputy. the first of seven terms representing Lebanon. He served in the state legislature three times; from 1774 to 1775, from 1779 to 1780, and in 1788, serving as

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

in 1788.

Revolutionary War

Trumbull served in the Continental Army as paymaster general of the Northern Department from July 28, 1775 to July 29, 1778. In February 1781, he was given the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel ...

. He was included in the general orders of June 8, 1781: "Jonathan Trumbull. Esqr., Junior, is appointed Secretary to the Commander in Chief and to be respected accordingly." He served for the duration of the war as aide-de-camp to General George Washington until December 28, 1783. After the war, he became an original member of the Connecticut

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

United States Congress

Elected to the First,

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

, and Third Congresses, Trumbull served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1795. He was the Speaker of the House in the Second Congress, both preceded and succeeded by Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg. He did not seek re-election for a fourth term and instead ran for the United States Senate. When Trumbull was elected to the United States Senate, he served from March 4, 1795 to June 10, 1796.

Governor of Connecticut

On June 10, 1796, he resigned from the United States Senate to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. When the Governor died in December 1797, he became governor and was re-elected to eleven consecutive terms until his death in Lebanon, Connecticut.

Personal life

Jonathan Trumbull Jr with Mrs Trumbull and Faith Trumbull by John Trumbull

Trumbull married Eunice Backus. Together, they had one son and four daughters: *Jonathan Trumbull (b. December 24, 1767, d. January 14, 1768), who died young *Faith Trumbull (b. February 1, 1769), who married Daniel Wadsworth (1771–1848), an artist and architect *Mary Trumbull (b. December 27, 1777) *Harriet Trumbull Silliman (b. September 2, 1783, d. January 1850), who married Benjamin Silliman (1779–1864), a scientist. *

Maria Trumbull Maria Trumbull (1785–1805) was a published letter writer. She became Maria Trumbull Hudson with her marriage to Henry Hudson. Her father was Governor Jonathan Trumbull Jr. Early life Maria Trumbull was born February 14, 1785, and baptized in ...

(b. February 14, 1785). He was elected a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, ...

in 1804. Trumbull died August 7, 1809, aged 69 years and 134 days. He is interred at Trumbull Cemetery, Lebanon, Connecticut. He was one of the original members of the board of trustees of

Bacon Academy Bacon Academy is a public high school in Colchester, Connecticut, in the United States. In 1800 a prominent Colchester farmer, Pierpont Bacon, died and left an endowment of thirty-five thousand dollars (with buying power equivalent to that of abou ...

References

External links

*
National Governors AssociationThe American Revolution InstituteThe Society of the Cincinnati

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trumbull, Jonathan Jr. 1740 births 1809 deaths Continental Army staff officers United States Army paymasters Governors of Connecticut Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Speakers of the United States House of Representatives United States senators from Connecticut American people of English descent Harvard College alumni Connecticut Federalists Federalist Party United States senators Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Federalist Party state governors of the United States Military personnel from Connecticut Aides-de-camp of George Washington People from Lebanon, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut Burials in Connecticut