Simeon Griswold (May 16, 1752 – December 7, 1843) was a

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Representative from

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...

, and a member of the political

Griswold Family The Griswold family () is an American political family from Connecticut and New York of English descent. The family's fortune originates from the 19th Century industrial and merchant pursuits. They tend to be Republican, but a few of them supp ...

Early life

Griswold was born in

Bolton, Connecticut Bolton ( ) is a small rural New England town, town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,858 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Bolton was incorporated in October 1720 and is governed by town meeting, w ...

, on May 16, 1752. He was one of three children born to Seth Griswold (1723–1810) and Susanna (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Shurtleff) Griswold (1732–1757), who married in 1751 in Bolton. His paternal grandparents were Daniel Griswold and Sarah (née White) Griswold. His maternal grandparents were John Shurtleff and Sarah Carver Lucas (herself the daughter of Benoni Lucas and Repentance Harlow).

Career

At the age of 22, he volunteered to serve in the

Connecticut Line The Connecticut Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Connecticut Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Connecticut at various times by the Continental Congress, the size of its allocation d ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, after which he moved to Pittsfield and opened the Pittsfield Hotel as a meeting a lodging place for members of opposing political parties.

Public office

Griswold was elected to the

Massachusetts State Legislature The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. The name "General Court" is a holdover from the earliest days of ...

from the town of Pittsfield five times, serving from 1805 to 1807, 1809, 1814. Griswold died in

Nassau, New York Nassau is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,545 in 2020, down from 4,789 at the 2010 census. The Town of Nassau ...

Personal life

On May 7, 1778, Griswold was married to Ann Hutchinson (1755–1836). Together, they were the parents of: * Justin Griswold (1779–1841) *

Chester Griswold Chester Griswold (January 14, 1781 – September 7, 1860) was a New York Assemblyman from Nassau, New York, and a member of the political Griswold Family. Biography Griswold was born in Bolton, Connecticut, to Simeon Griswold and Ann Hutchin ...

(1781–1860), a New York representative who married Abby Moulton, daughter of Howard and Mary (née White) Moulton of Troy, on June 23, 1813. He died on December 7, 1843, in

Descendants

Through his son Chester, he was the grandfather of

U.S. Congressman 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 ...

John Augustus Griswold (1818–1872).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griswold, Simeon 1752 births 1843 deaths Politicians from Pittsfield, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Bolton, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Revolution People from colonial Connecticut Griswold family 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court