Jonathan Trumbull

Not to be confused with his sons,Jonathan Trumbull Jr.,also a Connecticut politician, andJohn Trumbull,a prominent artist.

Jonathan Trumbull Sr.
16thGovernor of Connecticut
In office October 10, 1776 – May 13, 1784
Lieutenant	Matthew Griswold
Preceded by	Himself (governor ofConnecticut Colony)
Succeeded by	Matthew Griswold
16thGovernor of Connecticut Colony
In office 1769–1776
Preceded by	William Pitkin
Succeeded by	Himself (governor of State of Connecticut)
Personal details
Born	October 12, 1710 Lebanon,Connecticut Colony,British America
Died	August 17, 1785(1785-08-17)(aged 74) Lebanon,Connecticut,United States
Political party	None
Spouse	Faith Robinson
Children	Joseph Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Jr. Faith Trumbull Mary Trumbull David Trumbull John Trumbull
Alma mater	Harvard College
Signature

Jonathan Trumbull Sr.(October 12, 1710 – August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served asGovernor of Connecticutduring theAmerican Revolution.Trumbull andNicholas Cookeof Rhode Island were the only men to serve as governor of both a British colony and an American state, and he was the only governor to take up thePatriotcause at the start of theRevolutionary War.Trumbull CollegeatYale University,the town ofTrumbull, Connecticut,Trumbull County, Ohio(originally part of theConnecticut Western Reserve), andJonathan the Huskyare all named for him.

Trumball was the father ofJohn Trumbull,the noted artist, andJonathan Trumbull Jr.,Governor of Connecticut andSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

Coat of Arms of Jonathan Trumbull

Trumbull was born inLebanon, Connecticut,the son of Joseph Trumble (1678–1755) and his wife, Hannah Trumble (née Higley), the daughter of John Higley and Hannah Drake. The patriarch of the Trumble family was the immigrant John Trumble (1612–1687), fromNewcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland,who was Joseph's grandfather. The original spelling of "Trumble" was later changed for an unknown reason.

Jonathan graduated fromHarvard Collegewith a B.A. in 1727; for three years after graduation, he studied theology under the Reverend Solomon Williams at Lebanon and was licensed to preach atColchester, Connecticut;this became a Master of Arts degree.

Career

Trumbull became a merchant with his father in 1731, participating more fully in the business after the death of his brother at sea in 1732. From 1733 to 1740, he was a delegate to the general assembly, and, in 1739–1740, was Speaker of the House. He was appointed lieutenant colonel in Connecticut's militia in 1739, and was colonel of the 12th Connecticut Regiment during theFrench and Indian War.

He served as deputy governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1766 to 1769, and, on the death of GovernorWilliam Pitkin,becameGovernor of Connecticutin 1769, serving in that capacity until 1784, through Connecticut's transition from a colony to a U.S. state.

Revolutionary War

On May 13, 1774, British GeneralThomas Gagearrived inBoston,a city with a history of violent protests against British policies. Given the problems he was inheriting from Royal GovernorThomas Hutchinson,within a week of arriving Gage contacted Trumbull and expressed a "readiness to cooperate" with him "for the good of his Majesty's service."When Gage sent Trumbull a request for assistance after theBattles of Le xing ton and Concordin April 1775, Trumbull refused and made clear his choice to side with the Patriots. He replied that Gage's troops would "disgrace even barbarians", and he accused Gage of "a most unprovoked attack upon the lives and the property of his Majesty's subjects."

On July 6, 1775, along with other officers, Trumbull commissionedNathan Haleas a first lieutenant in the newly raisedSeventh Regimentof theContinental Army.Hale was later executed by the British for espionage.

Trumbull was a friend and advisor of GeneralGeorge Washingtonthroughout the Revolutionary period, dedicating the resources of Connecticut to the fight for independence. Washington declared him "the first of the patriots."When Washington was desperate for men or food during the war, he could turn to "Brother Jonathan".Trumbull also served as the Continental Army's Paymaster General (Northern Department) in the spring of 1778, until the untimely death of his mother forced him to resign his post. As part of his resignation, he requested that the remainder of his back pay be distributed to the soldiers of the Northern Department.

Post-war

Trumbull was one of only two colonial governors to continue in office after independence (the other wasRhode Island'sNicholas Cooke,who assumed office early in the war). Governor Trumbull was elected as an honorary member of the ConnecticutSociety of the Cincinnatiin 1784. In 1782, he was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences.He received an honorary LL.D. fromYale Universityin 1775 and from theUniversity of Edinburghin 1787.

Personal life

Faith Robinson Trumbull, depicted donating her cloak for the revolutionary war effort

In 1736, one year prior to his marriage, Jonathan Trumbull Sr. purchased Flora, a 'mulato girl and slave for life', from Eliphalet Adams of New London.

On December 9, 1735, he married Faith Robinson (1718–1780), daughter of Reverend John Robinson. They were the parents of six children, including:

• Joseph Trumbull(1737–1778), first commissary general of theContinental Armyand an early member of the Board of War.
• Jonathan Trumbull Jr.(1740–1809), aide-de-camp to GeneralGeorge Washingtonfrom 1781 to the end of the war, Speaker of the House from 1791 to 1793, and Governor of Connecticut from 1798 to 1809.
• Faith Trumbull(1743–1775), who married GeneralJedidiah Huntington.
• Mary Trumbull (1745–1831), who marriedWilliam Williams,signer of theDeclaration of Independence.
• David Trumbull (1751–1822), commissary of the Colony of Connecticut and father ofJoseph Trumbull,the 35th Governor of Connecticut.
• John Trumbull(1756–1843), "Painter of the American Revolution" and aide-de-camp to General Washington for 19 days in 1775.

Trumbull died inLebanon, Connecticut,and is buried at the Old Cemetery there. His home in Lebanon, theJonathan Trumbull House,was declared aNational Historic Landmarkin 1965.

In historical fiction

• InA Little Maid of Old ConnecticutbyAlice Turner Curtis,the main character, a little girl named Ellie Barlow, aided by a friend, delivers a secret message to Trumbull during his years as governor, after which he seeks her out, and helps her friend's father get a much-needed job. The story begins in the year 1777.

See also

• Maria Trumbull,granddaughter

Bibliography

• Baker, Mark Allen (2014).Spies of Revolutionary Connecticut, From Benedict Arnold to Nathan Hale.The History Press.
• Baker, Mark Allen (2014).Connecticut Families of the Revolution, American Forebears from Burr to Wolcott.The History Press.
• Phelps, M. William (2008).Nathan Hale: The Life and Death of America's First Spy,St. Martin's Press.
• Lefkowitz, Arthur S.(2003).George Washington's Indispensable Men: The 32 Aides-de-Camp Who Helped Win the Revolution,Stackpole Books.
• Rose, Alexander (2006).Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring,Bantam Books.

External links

• Biography, genealogy, chronology and bibliography
• Governor Jonathan Trumbull House and Wadsworth Stable
• Connecticut State Library
• The USGenWeb Project, Fairfield County
• Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Trumbull, Jonathan".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.