Stanley Griswold (November 14, 1763August 21, 1815) was a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

politician from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. He served in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. Born in

Torrington, Connecticut Torrington is the most populated municipality and largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and the Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, Northwest Hills Planning Region. It is also the core city of Greater Torringto ...

, Griswold served in the militia during the Revolutionary War. After graduating from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1786, he taught for a time in Norwich, and began studying Theology in 1787.Jenks, p. 5 In 1789 he was called to th
First Congregational Church
in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of Greater Danbury, as well as the New York Metropolitan Area, has a population of 28,115 as of the 2020 census. New Milford lies north of Danbury on the ...

, where he preached until 1802. In 1803 he went to

Walpole, New Hampshire Walpole is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. The town's central village, where 573 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Walpole census-designated place (CDP) a ...

, as editor of the new Democratic newspaper ''The Political Observatory''.Jenks, p. 6 Griswold continued with the paper until the spring of 1805 when he received the appointment of Secretary to the new

Territory of Michigan The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

from President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. He served as the first territorial secretary of

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

from 1805-1808. In 1806, while serving as acting governor in the absence of Governor

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American military officer and politician. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he later served as governor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1813), where he negotiated land cessi ...

, Griswold ordered the erection of Fort Croghan, also known as Fort Nonsense, to protect livestock from raids by Native Americans. Griswold Street in Detroit is named in his honor. His tenure ended largely due to disagreements with the Governor, who accused Griswold of causing dissension between the Governor and the militia. In January 1808, Griswold lost a trial, which has been characterized as a farce, and was obliged to pay a penalty of $1,000.Farmer
p. 316
/ref> He left office on March 18, 1808, and moved to Ohio. He was appointed to the Senate to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of

Edward Tiffin Edward Tiffin (June 19, 1766 – August 9, 1829) was an American politician who served as the first governor of Ohio and later as a United States Senate, United States Senator from Ohio as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Democratic-R ...

, serving from May 18, 1809 until a special election was held to choose a successor on December 11, 1809. Griswold then moved to the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ...

, where he was appointed as a federal judge, serving on the bench and as a lawyer until his death.

Notes

References

* * * * *
The Political Graveyard

Archives and records

Griswold family papers
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Griswold, Stanley 1763 births 1815 deaths American Congregationalists Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Ohio Illinois Territory officials Michigan Democratic-Republicans Michigan Territory officials Ohio Democratic-Republicans People from Torrington, Connecticut Politicians from Detroit Protestants from Connecticut Protestants from Michigan Yale College alumni 19th-century United States senators