Huntington, Benjamin, 1736-1800

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Benjamin Huntington (April 19, 1736 – October 16, 1800) was an eighteenth-century American lawyer, jurist and politician from Connecticut and served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the First United States Congress.

Born in Norwich in the Connecticut Colony, Huntington pursued academic studies, ultimately graduating from Yale College. Appointed surveyor of lands for Windham County in October 1764, Huntington went on to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1765. He began the practice of law in Norwich. Yale College later bestowed an LL.D upon Huntington. Huntington served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1771 to 1780 and served as speaker of that body in 1778 and 1779. In 1775 he served on the committee of safety in the State House and was appointed to advise with Governor Jonathan Trumbull during the recess of the legislature. In 1778 Huntington was appointed a delegate to the Provincial Congress at New Haven.

From 1780 to 1784, and again in 1787 and 1788, Huntington was a member of the Continental Congress. He served on the Connecticut council of assistants from 1781 to 1789 and from 1791 to 1792. Huntington served as a member of the State Senate from 1781 to 1780 and from 1791 to 1793. When the new government went into operation in 1789, he was chosen to represent Connecticut in the First Congress of the United States as a Pro-Administration Party candidate, serving from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1791. On the incorporation of Norwich in 1784, he was elected its first Mayor, serving until his resignation in 1796. In 1793 he was appointed judge of the superior court of Connecticut, holding this office until 1798.

Huntington died in Rome, New York and is interred in the Old Colony Cemetery in Norwich.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Parsons Family Papers, 1769-1878 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Norwich (Conn.). Selectmen. Call for Norwich, Conn., town meeting [manuscript], 1774 May 30. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Huntington Family File, 1737-1898 The Huntington Library
creatorOf Huntington, Benjamin, 1736-1800. Benjamin Huntington account books, 1768-1792. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Huntington, Benjamin, 1736-1800. Account book, 1775-1781. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Wilkins, George. Order to pay Benjamin Huntington, New London, Connecticut, 1786 October 11. Pennsylvania State University Libraries
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
creatorOf Huntington, Samuel, 1731-1796. ALS (initials), 1791 Feb. 5, Norwich, Conn., to Benjamin Huntington. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Williams, William, 1731-1811. ALS, 1776 Mar. 17, Lebanon, Conn.[?], to Jabez Huntington. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Huntington, Ebenezer, 1754-1834. Papers of Ebenezer Huntington, 1737-1898 (bulk 1774-1818). Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Connecticut. Committee of Pay Table. Orders for payment, 1777-1789. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Shaw, Thomas, 1739-1795. Letter, 1778 June 13, New London, Conn., to Ezekiel Williams, Norwich, Conn. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Huntington, Benjamin, 1736-1800. Benjamin Huntington papers, 1761-1864. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Thomas Addis Emmet collection, 1483-1876 (bulk:1700-1800) New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
referencedIn Autograph File, H Houghton Library
creatorOf Gere, Amos. Windham, Tolland and New London County legal documents, 1748-1816. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Williams, Thomas. Thomas Williams et al. account book, 1776-1778. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Huntington Family File, 1737-1898 The Huntington Library
referencedIn Norwich (Conn.). Norwich deeds and writs, 1728-1812. Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Huntington, Benjamin. Benjamin Huntington papers, 1766-1787 Connecticut Historical Society
creatorOf Huntington, Benjamin, 1736-1800. Draft of letter, 1789 August 18, New York, N.Y. to George Phillips, Middletown, Conn. Connecticut Historical Society
referencedIn Trumbull, Jonathan, 1710-1785. Jonathan Trumbull letters, 1779 and 177-?. New London County Historical Society
creatorOf Hide, Richard,. [Norwich proprietor's record of land sales], 1770. Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
creatorOf Norwich (Conn.). Extract from Norwich proprietor's book of records, p. 112, ca. 1775? Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Jared Sparks collection of American manuscripts, 1582-1843 Houghton Library
creatorOf Connecticut. Governor. Bond with Governor and Company, 1776 June 19. Connecticut Historical Society
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Connecticut. Committee of Pay Table. corporateBody
memberOf Connecticut. General Assembly. House of Representatives corporateBody
memberOf Connecticut. General Assembly. Senate corporateBody
associatedWith Connecticut. Governor. corporateBody
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Emmet, Thomas Addis person
associatedWith Huntington, Anne, d. 1790. person
associatedWith Huntington, Ebenezer, 1754-1834. person
associatedWith Huntington, Elijah. person
associatedWith Huntington, Samuel, 1731-1796. person
associatedWith Norwich (Conn.) corporateBody
associatedWith Norwich (Conn.). Selectmen. person
correspondedWith Parsons family of Connecticut and Ohio family
associatedWith Phillips, George, 1750-1802. person
associatedWith Shaw, Thomas, 1739-1795. person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
correspondedWith Trumbull, Jonathan, 1710-1785. person
associatedWith Trumbull, Jonathan, 1740-1809. person
memberOf United States. Congress. House person
memberOf United States. Continental Congress. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. District Court (Connecticut) corporateBody
associatedWith Wilkins, George. person
associatedWith Williams, Thomas. person
associatedWith Williams, William, 1731-1811. person
memberOf Yale University. corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
New Haven CT US
Windham County CT US
Norwich CT US
Rome NY US
Subject
Accounts
Correspondence
Families
Housewives
Merchants
Surveyors
Town clerks
Occupation
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
Jurists
Lawyers
Mayors
Representatives, U.S. Congress
State Representative
State Senator
State Superior Court Judge
Activity

Person

Birth 1736-04-19

Death 1800-10-16

Male

Americans,

Britons

English

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