Trumbull, John M., 1784-1859

John Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Connecticut in 1756. He graduated from Harvard College in 1773. From 1775 through 1779 Trumbull served with the revolutionary forces in various capacities, including a brief appointment as an aide-de-camp to George Washington. During the 1780s Trumbull studied and painted in London and on the Continent and began the works on historical subjects which would eventually earn him the reputation of painter of the Revolution. In 1824 Trumbull installed his paintings in the United States Capitol. A collection of Trumbull's work became the center around which the Yale Art Gallery was formed. Trumbull also served as a private secretary to John Jay during negotiations which ended in Jay's Treaty. In 1817 he became president of the American Academy of Fine Arts. Trumbull died in 1843 in New Haven, Connecticut.

Nephew of artist John Trumbull.