Joshua Coit (October 7, 1758 – September 5, 1798) was an eighteenth-century

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

lawyer and politician. He served as a United States Representative from

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. ...

Early life and career

Coit was born in New London 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 ...

, the son of Joseph Coit and Lydia (Lathrop) Coit. He attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretar ...

s and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1776. Coit studied law, 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 ...

and began the practice of law in New London in 1779. 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 ...

from 1784 to 1785, 1789 to 1790, 1792 and 1793. Coit served as clerk during several terms and as speaker in 1793. He was elected as a Pro-Administration Party candidate to the

Third United States Congress The 3rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives The United States House of Represent ...

, and was reelected 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 ...

candidate to the Fourth United States Congress and the Fifth United States Congress, serving from 1793 until 1798. He was chairman of Committee on Elections in the Fifth Congress. Coit served as US representative from March 4, 1793, until his death in New London. He is interred in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London.

Personal life

Coit married Ann Borradell Hallam (1765–1844) in 1784. They had six children: *Robert Coit (1785–1874), who married Charlotte Coit (1798–1874) *Lydia Coit *Leonard Coit *Fanny Coit (1792–1820) *Nancy Coit (1795–1883), who married Edward Learned (1786–1849) *Susan Coit

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
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Govtrack.us
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coit, Joshua 1758 births 1798 deaths Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Harvard College alumni Politicians from New London, Connecticut Connecticut lawyers Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut People from colonial Connecticut 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly

Early life and career

Personal life

See also

References

Further reading

External links