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Connecticut’s War Governor, William A. Buckingham
…Connecticut’s War Governor Olin Levi Warner, ca. 1874 – Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Art The state honored Governor Buckingham 20 years after the Civil War ended. The state funded…
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Connecticut’s Black Governors
…several black governors in the state. The election of black governors was a formal affair with meetings, dinners, and a parade complete with dress clothes provided by white masters. Some…
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Governor Jonathan Trumbull Dies – Today in History: August 17
…Connecticut General Assembly in 1736. He became deputy governor under William Pitkin in 1766 and then governor upon Pitkin’s death three years later. During his tenure as the colony’s governor,…
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Roger Griswold: A Governor Not Afraid To Challenge Authority
…death of Governor Jonathan Trumbull led to Griswold’s election as the state’s lieutenant governor in 1809. Two years later, Griswold became governor of Connecticut. Elected to a second term in…
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America’s First Woman Governor: Ella Grasso, 1919-1981
…Charles William Eldridge – Connecticut Historical Society In 1975, Grasso became Connecticut’s first woman governor and first governor of Italian descent. She was also the first woman in the United…
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Did You Know a Connecticut Governor Was a US Spy?
By Paul E. Baran When James Lukens McConaughy campaigned for Governor in 1946, he could already boast of an impressive resume: President of Wesleyan University in Middletown (1925-1943), Lieutenant Governor…
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John H. Trumbull: Connecticut’s “Flying Governor”
…two terms in the state senate, Trumbull won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor under newly elected governor Hiram Bingham. Bingham occupied the office for only one day before…
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Hard Times: Governor Wilbur Cross and the Great Depression in Connecticut
…Cross accepted the Democratic nomination for governor of Connecticut. Though his opponents claimed that “the dear old gentleman down at Yale” had no qualifications for political office, he won the…
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First Woman Elected as US State Governor Born – Today in History: May 10
On May 10, 1919, Ella Grasso, née Ella Rosa Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, the first woman governor in the US to be elected “in her own right,” was born in Windsor…
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Samuel Foot: A Trader Turned Governor
…States senator and as a member of the US House of Representatives, Foot also became governor of Connecticut during one of the most troubling economic times in the state’s early…
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Governor Griswold’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
This broadside (a large piece of paper printed on only one side) issued by Thomas and Samuel Green of New Haven announced the Proclamation of Governor Matthew Griswold naming Thursday…
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Abraham Ribicoff: Kennedy Confidant and Connecticut’s First Jewish Governor
…as Connecticut’s first Jewish governor. A Self-Made Man After graduating from the local public school system in New Britain, Ribicoff began work in one of the city’s many factories, making…
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Governor Chester Bowles Dies – Today in History: May 25
On May 25, 1986, Chester Bowles, a Connecticut governor, Congressional representative, ambassador, and author, died in Essex, Connecticut. Bowles was elected the 61st governor of Connecticut in 1948, serving for…
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Lounsbury Elected Governor – Today in History: January 4
On January 4th 1899, George Edward Lounsbury was elected the 58th Governor of Connecticut, for which he served roughly three years. Lounsbury was born in Pound Ridge, New York on…
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Portland Improves the Steam Engine
…the plant’s engine, Pickering longed for a more finely crafted mechanism than the sluggish, unresponsive “gravity governor” responsible for the engine’s control. Pickering set about making his own governor in…
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The Education of Ella Grasso
…College, 1975 – Mount Holyoke College Connecticut’s First Woman Governor Thirty-five years later, Governor Ella Tambussi Grasso recalled Marks’s exhortation when she delivered the commencement address to the graduating class…
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The Importance of Being Puritan: Church and State in Colonial Connecticut
…Light Lieutenant-Governor, Jonathan Trumbull, went on to become Connecticut’s war governor, the only colonial governor to remain in office through the Revolution. Detail of a half-length portrait of Jonathan Trumbull…
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Jonathan Trumbull’s Lebanon War Office: The “Pentagon of the Revolution”
…of Deputy Governor before being appointed governor in 1769 (completing the term of William Pitkin after he died in office) and continued to serve until 1784. Due the tumultuous times…
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The Complicated Realities of Connecticut and the Civil War
…once the war began. Democrats pitted the popular former governor Thomas H. Seymour against Republican Governor William A. Buckingham. Fearing defeat, the Republican party pulled Abraham Lincoln from his travels…
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Jonathan Trumbull
…Indian War, Trumbull won election as deputy governor of Connecticut in 1766. With the death of Governor William Pitkin in 1769, Trumbull became governor of the colony. During the Revolutionary…
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Plainville Has Been Flying High for Over 100 Years
…need of a quick trip to New York or Boston. A Flying Governor Governor Trumbull becomes first governor in the nation to qualify for a pilot’s license and makes his…
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The Revolution of 1817
…for governor, and nominated Jonathan Ingersoll (a Republican and an Episcopalian) for lieutenant governor. In April 1817, following a vicious and hard-fought campaign, the Toleration Party defeated the Federalists, ousting…
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From the State Historian: Discovering the Explorer Hiram Bingham III
…authority, a Yale professor, and a politician who served as Connecticut’s lieutenant governor, governor, and United States senator. But the accomplishment for which Hiram Bingham III will always be most…
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Oliver Wolcott Dies – Today in History: December 1
…state’s lieutenant governor from 1787-1796 and, from 1796 until his death, as its governor. Oliver Wolcott is buried in the East Cemetery in Litchfield. His son, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., continued…
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The First University of Connecticut Trustees
By Michael Rodriguez When the University of Connecticut started life as the Storrs Agricultural School in 1881, Governor Hobart Bigelow appointed its first eight trustees. Since then, Connecticut’s sitting governor…
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A Woman Who Developed Tolerance: Leila T. Alexander
…In addition, Governor Baldwin appointed her to sit on the Governor’s Advisory Committee on the State Housing Authority as its “Negro representation.” The committee was charged with making recommendations to…
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Video: 1938 Thanksgiving Proclamation
…1938, the first time a Connecticut Governor had ever appeared in a sound film. Wilbur Lucius Cross served as Governor of Connecticut from 1931-1938. © Connecticut State Library. All rights…
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William O’Neill: Climbing Up the Political Ladder
…governor. O’Neill won two re-election campaigns during the 1980s, ultimately providing him with a term of 10 years as Connecticut’s governor. Among his accomplishments while in office was the passing…
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Fighting Sons of Erin: Connecticut’s Irish Regiment in the Civil War
…attain citizenship and to vote. In 1855, the governor of Connecticut disbanded six state militia units made up of Irish immigrants, even though most were naturalized US citizens. The Irish…
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The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
…a governor and six magistrates were to be chosen. No man could serve as governor more than once every two years, a restriction that lasted until 1660. To prevent hasty,…
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The Ulysses S. Grant Memorial Tablet
…Army of the Republic, Woman’s Relief Corps, Sons of Veterans, Sons of Veterans’ Auxiliary, and Daughters of Veterans. Lieutenant Governor Clifford R. Wilson, at that time acting governor of Connecticut…
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Sloop-of-War Ship’s Figurehead Lands at State Capitol
…Signal Corps, C.N.G., 1st Regiment C.N.G., 1st Section Machine Gun Battery, Hartford, 1st Company Governor’s Foot Guard, 1st Company Governor’s Horse Guard, 2nd Company Governor’s Foot Guard, New Haven, 2nd…
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Hall of Flags: Memorial to Connecticut’s Civil War Colors
…Hawley made a formal presentation of the battle flags to Governor Charles B. Andrews on a platform raised in front of the building. Hawley addressed the crowd and the governor….
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Carl Sandburg, Poet from the Grassroots, Reaches Connecticut Audiences
…governor as his friend. Fellow poet and Wesleyan faculty member Wilbert Snow knew Sandburg for 50 years. Snow became Connecticut Lieutenant Governor in 1945. He served as governor for 13…
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The 42-Day Income Tax
When Governor Thomas Meskill took office in January of 1971, Connecticut found itself in the midst of a financial crisis. In the years leading up to Meskill’s election, the state…
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The Connecticut Town Green
…Around the time of incorporation in 1700, Lebanon resident Joseph Trumbull (father of Colonial governor Jonathan Trumbull Sr.) introduced livestock farming to the town. Thus began Lebanon’s long farming history….
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A Successful Lawyer and Politician Who Never Went to College
…of an oil painting of C. F. Cleveland from the The Governors of Connecticut by Frederick Calvin Norton, 1905 Connecticut’s 14th Governor Cleveland’s foray into politics started with his election…
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Votes for A Woman: Sara Buek Crawford
…first woman delivering the oath of office to a Connecticut governor (Raymond E. Baldwin-R). In her 1940 re-election campaign, Chase Going Woodhouse (D) wrote to Crawford—her friend and political opponent—to…
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An Orderly & Decent Government: Making Self-Government Work, 1929-1964
…Government Members of the Organization of Women Legislators, 1945 In its 1938 reorganization of state government, the legislature combined 116 separate agencies into 17 executive departments, made the governor responsible…
Read Abraham Ribicoff dies – Today in History: February 22
On February 22, 1998, Abraham Ribicoff died. An American Democratic Party politician, Ribicoff served as Connecticut governor, a member of Congress and the United States Secretary of Health, Education, and…
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Creative License, or Fundamental Fact?
…their relative authority. The Orders clearly sought to use but modify the Massachusetts model to avoid such problems. Connecticut put limits on the authority of the governor and modestly expanded…
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Connecticut and the Embargo Act of 1807
…Hartford’s Federalist newspaper, the Connecticut Courant, missed no opportunity to attack and condemn the embargo and the Republican party which sought to enforce it. In February 1809, Governor Jonathan Trumbull…
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Ella Grasso
…she became Connecticut’s Governor. In winning that 1974 election, she become the first woman governor in the US to be elected “in her own right.” (Others had won governorships previously…
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From the State Historian: The Final Journey of Nathaniel Lyon
…son Nathaniel Lyon. Lyon, whose pallbearers included the governors of Connecticut and Rhode Island along with two army generals, was at that moment the most celebrated figure in the United…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Searching for the Common Good, 1905-1929
A Resistance to Reform “Time is the great reformer, but it cannot be hurried in its course.” – Democratic Governor Simeon Baldwin, inaugural address, 1913 Chart depicting employee accidents for…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Making Self-Government Work, 1634-1776
…governor. In 1687, Edmond Andros, the governor of this “Dominion of New England,” arrived in Hartford to take control of Connecticut’s government and take possession of its treasured charter. Legend…
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Connecticut’s Black Civil War Regiment
…authorizing Governor William A. Buckingham to organize regiments of “colored” infantry. Connecticut Democrats denounced the bill in unmeasured terms, arguing it would let loose upon the helpless South “a horde…
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Soldier, Patriot, and Politician: The Life of Oliver Wolcott
…the post-independence period, Wolcott returned to politics. His constituents elected him lieutenant governor of Connecticut in 1786, and he became the 19th governor of Connecticut ten years later. He died…
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Oldest Cavalry Unit – Who Knew?
….that the First Company Governor’s Horse Guards is the oldest, continuously active, mounted cavalry unit in the United States. Chartered in 1788 as the Governor’s Independent Volunteer Troop of Horse…
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Oliver Wolcott
…Connecticut. In 1796, with the death of Governor Samuel Huntington, Wolcott assumed the role of governor, an office he held until his death in 1797 at the age of 71….
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Wilbur Cross
…at Yale in 1894. After retiring, Cross took an interest in politics and accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor in 1930. Serving as Connecticut’s governor for two terms (1931–1939),…
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The Charter of 1662
…a governor, deputy-governor and 12 assistants, all of whom were to be elected annually by the freemen of the company. An Assembly consisting of not more than two representatives from…
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Abraham Ribicoff
…Congresses where he served until 1953. In 1955, he defeated Republican governor John Davis Lodge to become Connecticut’s first Jewish governor. Ribicoff’s run as governor ended in 1961 when he…
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From the State Historian: The Map That Wasn’t a Map
…drawn map. The text reads: We, of Our abundant Grace, . . . have given, granted, and confirmed. . . unto the said Governor and Company. . . all that…
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“U.S. Troops in Viet Nam, but none in Selma” – Today in History: March 9
On March 9, 1965, protesters held an all-night vigil in front of Connecticut Governor John Dempsey’s residence. Representatives of Hartford’s civil rights movement, led by members of the North End…
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Merritt Parkway Creates Scenic Gateway to New England
…agencies, such as the Public Works Administration (PWA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA), might provide needed funds were disappointed. In the meantime, the Fairfield planning association lobbied MacDonald, Governor Wilbur…
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Dynamic Tensions: Conservation and Development up to the 1920s
…Threatens Electrical Service” and characterized the Governor’s tree-trimming plans as a “War on Trees.” “Mark my word,” warned Governor Dannel Malloy, “when we start to do that… there are going…
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Revolutionary War
…army. For these contributions, Connecticut earned its nickname, “The Provision State.” Connecticut’s Governor, Jonathan Trumbull, was the only colonial governor to initially and openly support the Revolution. Consequently, Connecticut supplied…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Searching for the Common Good, 1929-1964
…up with the post-war “baby boom.” The legislature also assisted with school operating expenses. Distribution formulas decidedly favored suburban towns. Governor Grasso‘s two terms saw the legislature pass improved utilities…
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The Bull Moose Party in Connecticut
…the Republicans’ margin in the Senate. Connecticut elected a Democratic governor for the first time in 16 years. Then in 1912, Roosevelt challenged Taft for the Republican nomination. Although Roosevelt…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Searching for the Common Good, 1776-1818
…those opposed to the Revolution with the seizure of their property, imprisonment, or even death. The Cheshire Turnpike The General Assembly’s Council of Safety and Governor John Trumbull met more…
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Samuel Huntington, the first President of the United States, dies – Today in History: January 5
…Connecticut permanently until 1783. He won his bid for lieutenant governor in 1784, 1785, and 1786. In 1786, however, the gubernatorial election resulted in no candidate holding a majority vote,…
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One of the Honored Dead: General J. K. F. Mansfield
…Cemetery following a lavish funeral, attended by Governor Buckingham, the Governor’s Foot Guard, Horse Guard, and the Putnam Phalanx. His body was later moved to Indian Hill Cemetery. Following the…
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A Separate Place: The New Haven Colony, 1638-1665
…restoration of the monarchy, their existence was in question. In 1661, John Winthrop Jr, governor of the Connecticut Colony, was chosen to represent both Connecticut and New Haven, and to…
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Benedict Arnold Turns and Burns New London
…on the New London side on a rocky outcropping south of the main part of the city and named Fort Trumbull, after Governor Jonathan Trumbull. On the Groton side, on…
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Connecticut Attorney General John H. Light and His Fight for Woman’s Suffrage
…public at a time when such advocacy could still lead to criticism. In 1910, Governor Weeks appointed Light to fill Marcus H. Holcomb’s vacated seat as Attorney General, an office…
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William Eaton, a Peace Democrat and Civil War Opponent
…death in 1875 of Senator (and former Civil War Governor) William Buckingham. Shortly thereafter, he was elected to a full six-year Senate term. During the later portion of that term,…
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Connecticut Turnpike Opens – Today in History: January 2
On January 2, 1958, Governor Abraham Ribicoff officially opened the Connecticut Turnpike—today the Governor John Davis Lodge Turnpike—to traffic. Ten months later, the last three miles, including the bridges over…
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Rivers of Outrage
…within two years, and the city complied. Tightening Regulations In the wake of the Danbury decision, Governor Lorrin A. Cook pushed a reluctant General Assembly to create a Sewage Commission…
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Benedict Arnold: America’s Most Famous Traitor
…a proud background. His great-great grandfather was one of the founders of Rhode Island, and his great-grandfather Benedict won election as governor of Rhode Island five times. When his father…
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Eighteen Years in the Making: Connecticut’s 1991 Gay Rights Law
By Emma Wiley On May 1, 1991, Connecticut Governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr. signed into law Public Act No. 91-58, “An Act Concerning Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation.”…
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Richard Reihl: The Hate Crime That Became a Turning Point for LGBTQ+ Civil Rights
…1990, members of the Connecticut Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights disrupted the General Assembly meeting and displayed a banner in protest of Governor William O’Neill’s lack of support…
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LGBTQ+ Mental Health Treatment in the 20th Century
…from the Meeting of the Committee for the Study and Prevention of Sex Offenses, January 31, 1951 – Office of the Governor Notes, John Davis Lodge, 1951-1955, Connecticut State Library…
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Connecticut’s First Mutual Savings Bank Opens in Hartford
By Edward T. Howe On June 1, 1819, Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr. approved a legislative charter for the Society for Savings in Hartford—the first mutual savings bank in the state….
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Alexander Calder and Making Art Political
…personal friends was Abraham A. Ribicoff. The son of impoverished Polish immigrants, the New Britain native enjoyed a long and admired career in public life: Connecticut state legislature; Governor of…
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Thomas Short – Connecticut’s First Official Printer
…acts and laws of Connecticut. In 1708, Connecticut Governor Gurdon Saltonstall sought to have a resident printer and offered the job to Thomas Green, Bartholomew’s son. Green declined the invitation,…
ReadAmerica 250 | CT
…democracy, and societal change have continued in other aspects and eras of Connecticut’s history. In 2022, Governor Ned Lamont established the America 250 | CT Commission to lead the state’s…
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Politics and Government
…one of only four Union governors to serve throughout the Civil War and remembered as Connecticut’s Lincoln for his anti-slavery stance, and Ella Grasso, the nation’s first elected woman governor….
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Connecticut’s Loyal Subjects: Toryism and the American Revolution
…sought to send their prominent Tories to face imprisonment in Connecticut. Three such prisoners were Governor Franklin and Mayor Matthews, from New Jersey and New York City, and one Dr….
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Mariann Wolcott and Ralph Earl – Opposites Come Together and Make History
…society, traveling around the state to paint notables. Oliver Wolcott Commissions a Painting By 1789, when Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Oliver Wolcott commissioned Earl to paint his wife, his daughter Mariann,…
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Selma, Not So Far Away
…governor’s residence to focus local attention on the Selma attacks. They brought legislative business to a standstill a short while later, simply by entering the state capitol, where an unusually…
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Site Lines: Connecticut’s Freedom Trail
…the grave of Florio [Flora] who died in April 1749 at age 60. According to the inscription, she was the wife of Hercules, “governor of the Negroes,” referring to the…
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The Long, Ambiguous History of Connecticut’s Blue Laws
…Connecticut’s blue laws, the New Haven Code of Laws came about during various periods of the late 1640s, and then underwent revisions by Governor Theophilus Eaton in 1655. After reviewing…
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Hiram Bingham III: Machu Picchu Explorer and Politician
…trip ended in 1915, along with his service to Yale. Bingham spent the remainder of his life working primarily in politics. He became lieutenant governor of Connecticut in 1922 and…
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David Bushnell and his Revolutionary Submarine
…Deane, a member of the Congress from Connecticut who served on the Continental Marine Committee, inventor Benjamin Franklin became aware of the project. In turn, General George Washington and Governor…
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Homer D. Babbidge, Leader in Education
…Such support did not change his mind, especially when a governor unfriendly to UConn took office during Babbidge’s final year as president. Upon departing Storrs, he returned to his alma…
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Connecticut’s Oldest English Settlement
…elicit support from English settlers. Hoping to strike an alliance for his tribe—and secure trade relations independent of Pequot and Dutch control—he appealed to Governor Winthrop to visit the Connecticut…
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Lion Gardiner Helps to Fortify Early Old Saybrook
In 1635, the governor of the Saybrook colony hired engineer and soldier Lion Gardiner to build a critically needed fort for protection from both the Dutch colonists and local Native…
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29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteers Fought More than One War
…10 companies. Once African Americans were allowed to serve, Connecticut’s governor and legislature decided in November 1863 that the 29th would be a black regiment. Many white Americans were uncomfortable…
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The War Connecticut Hated
…Dearborn ordered Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull to deploy the state militia to enforce the embargo, the governor simply refused. Instead, he called a special session of the Connecticut General Assembly…
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John Winthrop Jr.
John Winthrop Jr. (1606-1676) On November 4, 1631, English-born John Winthrop Jr. arrived on the shores of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where his father was governor. Four years later, Winthrop…
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Where Mr. Twain and Mrs. Stowe Built Their Dream Houses
…in 1867, merging the two papers. He was a general in the Civil War and a war hero and narrowly won election as governor of Connecticut in 1866. He later…
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Ebenezer Bassett’s Historic Journey
…had a reputation for honor and intelligence in both the white and black communities and was elected a black governor, an honorary leadership position, by the black community of Derby…
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An Old Saybrook Borough has a Stately History
…that threatened to monopolize trade in the area. In recognition of the threat posed by the Dutch, as well as by local Native tribes, the governor of the Saybrook colony,…
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Gifford Pinchot: Bridging Two Eras of National Conservation
…Forestry, a long-time confidante of President Theodore Roosevelt, a governor of Pennsylvania, and founder of the Society of American Foresters. He was a Republican who often espoused a progressive philosophy,…
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The Legend of the Charter Oak
…as well as New York. James appointed Sir Edmond Andros as the new governor of this region. When Andros arrived in Hartford to take control of the government and confiscate…
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The 29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry Flag and Display
…months to perform guard duty. Upon returning to Connecticut, the soldiers of the 29th were given a hearty welcome by Hartford Mayor Allyn S. Stillman, Connecticut Governor William A. Buckingham,…
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Benjamin Dutton Beecher had a Penchant for Invention
…boat from its construction site in the western part of town over to the canal at Beachport in Cheshire. Among the passengers on this 1830s test voyage was Connecticut Governor…
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Connecticut’s Chickamauga Tree: An Investigation
…“The percent of casualties at Gettysburg was 20; at Chickamauga it was 33.” A Case For its Authenticity George E. Lounsbury was Governor of Connecticut from 1899–1901 – Museum of…
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Capital Punishment in Connecticut: Changing Views
…the decade of prosperity that followed World War II. In 1955, Connecticut Governor Abraham Ribicoff submitted a bill to the state legislature that once again called for abolishing the death…
Read Benedict Arnold Demands the Key – Today in History: April 22
…Second Company, Governor’s Foot Guard, called upon his men to go to Boston and aid in the fight. Assembled on New Haven’s public green more than 60 members of the…
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The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Archives: How to Use Them
…that make that institution’s or library’s holdings unique. How to use Archives If you are doing research on a past Governor of Connecticut, for example, and wanted archival materials relating…
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James G. Batterson, Stone Contractor
…He became an outspoken advocate of Governor William A. Buckingham and President Abraham Lincoln by, among other things, serving as the chairman for the Republican State Central Committee, also known…
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The Constitution Oak
…the royal charter, which, thanks to the efforts of Connecticut Colony’s Governor John Winthrop Jr., maintained some aspects of the Fundamental Orders, including the right to elect certain officials. In…
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Mohegan Federal Recognition
…economic development of their choice on their traditional reservation. These are the words of Governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr., Chairman Richard “Skip” Hayward, and Chief Ralph W. Sturges at that…
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Winning the Great War without Some Books
President Wilson’s war speech before Congress on April 3, 1917, did not catch Connecticut divided and complacent. State munitions industries were operating at full capacity to satisfy Allied contracts. Governor…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Significant Events & Developments, 1929-1964
…ready, the State Capitol begins a black-out test on December 12, 1941, five days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the War the General Assembly granted the governor broad…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Making Self-Government Work, 1819-1865
…policies and urged reunion with the South. Their “peace candidate” for governor, Thomas H. Seymour, lost the 1864 election by less than 2,600 votes. This article is a panel reproduction…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: A Clash of Cultures, 1888-1905
…the incumbent governor, Morgan Bulkeley, paid the entire expenses of the state from the budget of the Aetna Insurance Company where he served as president. Appalled reformers intensified their calls…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Making Self-Government Work, 1905-1929
…we could cut the vote we have in two rather than add women to it.” – Governor Marcus Holcomb, 1919 Appropriations Committee Despite his antagonism to suffrage, once women won…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Crisis and Recovery, 1929-1964
…voters opted for new leadership, electing Democrat Wilbur Cross as governor. State resources were soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the destitute The bitter experience of the Depression challenged…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Significant Events & Developments, 1965-Now
…which was chaired by former governor and Supreme Court Justice Raymond Baldwin. The party chairmen played a crucial role behind the scenes at the Convention. Placing statesmanship above partisan competition,…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: A Co-Equal Branch of Government, 1965-Now
…the Assembly. When Governor Dempsey vetoed the bill, both houses voted unanimously to override his veto, and the General Assembly emerged as a co-equal branch of government. No longer would…
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A Public Responsibility: Conservation and Development in the 20th Century
…philosophies of nature—one advocating carefully managed resource use and the other promoting preservation and recreation—inevitably encountered conflicts. Connecticut Governor, and later Senator, George McLean willed 3,400 acres for the McLean…
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A Baltic Mill Helps Found a New Town
…reached the towns of Lisbon and Franklin (on either side of the Shetucket) at a place called Lord’s Bridge. Shortly afterward, the former governor and US senator from Rhode Island,…
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Trumbull
…Stratford, Trumbull was incorporated in 1797 and took as its namesake the Revolutionary War Governor Jonathan Trumbull. Throughout the 1800s, farming and light industry provided the town’s livelihood, but by…
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Wolcott
Located at the northern tip of New Haven County, the town of Wolcott, originally known as Farmingbury, incorporated from Southington and Waterbury in 1796. Its name honors Governor Oliver Wolcott,…
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Pan-Harmonicum Strikes a New Note for Puritan Worship in Lebanon
…of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wattles also composed music. Two of his compositions, “Owen’s March” and “Governor Strong’s March,” were included in the 1816 Instrumental Preceptor, a…
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Windsor Locks
…Locks’ native Ella Grasso, who became Connecticut’s first woman governor in 1975, hailed from such roots. Today, as home to Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks remains a vital transportation hub….
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Hannah Bunce Watson: One of America’s First Female Publishers
…of human nature, and anxious for the safety of his country, his press hath been devoted to the vindication of rational liberty. The Governor’s company of Cadets, of which he…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Searching for the Common Good, 1819-1865
…the repression of immigrants. Repeatedly, the Assembly had to elect a governor by joint ballot when no candidate in the multi-party statewide election won a majority. Civil War soldiers mustering…
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New London’s Ferries: A Transportation Tradition
…and Groton and converted the old bridge for use by automobiles, rendering the Thames River ferry obsolete. Postcard of the steam ferry boat Governor Winthrop crossing the Thames River. Built…
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The Black Panther Party in Connecticut: Community Survival Programs
…with Governor John Dempsey. Further river inspection discovered a blockage downstream that should have been dismantled several years earlier. Workers removed the obstruction and the river’s water level lowered to…
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Florence Griswold’s Home: A Story of Perseverance and Community
…a wedding present for his wife Helen Powers. Old Lyme was then a center for shipbuilding and trade, and the Griswold’s were an established Connecticut family that included two governors…
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Witchcraft in Connecticut
…disgraceful episode in Connecticut history, as shortly thereafter Governor John Winthrop Jr. established more stringent evidentiary requirements for establishing guilt. After that the executions ceased. The Connecticut residents who died…
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The Burning of Danbury
…General William Tryon. The British Raid Danbury Governor Tryon’s Expedition to Danbury – University of Connecticut Libraries’, Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC) Under the command of Captain Henry Duncan,…
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A Total Eclipse of the Sun – Today in History: January 24
On January 24, 1925, Connecticut residents witnessed a full solar eclipse. They had ample notice. Governor John H. Trumbull had issued a proclamation on January 15: On Saturday, the twenty-fourth…
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The Great Atlantic Hurricane Hits Connecticut
…they used it for anything other than a routine test) and evacuated residents and vacationers from shoreline areas. Furthermore, Governor Raymond Baldwin requested all police and fire departments, as well…
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A Good Spot and a Healthy Place: A Short History of Charles Island
…1870, Governor Jewell needed to call out the state militia to break up two prizefights on the island that had attracted a “large party of roughs” who arrived by steamboat…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Significant Events & Developments, 1819-1865
…General Assembly in 1855 and elected Thomas Minor governor. They quickly passed a tough anti-Irish program to restrict the Catholic Church, established a literacy test designed to keep Irish from…
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Pre-Colonization and Settlement Up Through 1763
…Governor John Winthrop Jr. legitimized Connecticut’s legal existence by obtaining a colonial charter from the British crown, a document that was later hidden in the famous Charter Oak when King…
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Civil War and Reconstruction 1850-1877
…Among those making significant contributions to the Union victory in the war were General (and 42nd governor of Connecticut) Joseph Hawley, General J. K. F. Mansfield of Middletown, and Connecticut’s…
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Great Depression and World War II 1929-1945
Great Depression and World War II (1929–1945) Governor Wilbur Cross helped navigate Connecticut’s course through the Great Depression. After a devastating collapse in the stock market that led to massive…
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Saving Sessions Woods
…to visitors several times in the early 20th century during these celebrations. Sessions Woods in the 20th Century Governor Malloy at Sessions Woods signing Public Act 12-152, An Act Concerning…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Searching for the Common Good, 1634-1776
…Governor William Pitkin, 1765 “No one dares, and few in power are disposed, to punish any violences that are offered to the Authority of the Act – in short, all…
Read An Orderly & Decent Government: Significant Events & Developments, 1776-1818
…subject which can engage our attention.” – Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr., 1818 A Second War with Britain The Connecticut ship, Arbula Many in Connecticut opposed the War of 1812 and…
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The Joshua Hempsted Diary: A Window into Colonial Connecticut
…served as business agent for the New London Winthrops, descendants of an early governor and owners of vast quantities of land. Throughout the course of the diary, he lettered gravestones,…
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Gerald MacGuire and the Plot to Overthrow Franklin Roosevelt
…Party’s candidates for President in 1924 and 1928, John Davis and Al Smith; several people associated with the J. P. Morgan banking interests (including Thomas Lamont, great-grandfather of Connecticut governor…
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Anna Elizabeth Dickinson at Touro Hall – Today in History: March 24
…in support of the reelection campaign of wartime governor William A. Buckingham. As a woman, Dickinson did not have the right to vote, yet she was allowed to use her…
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The Storied History behind Connecticut’s Nicknames
…had multiple ammunition outposts around the colony. Governor Jonathan Trumbull supported the Patriot cause early in the war and helped coordinate military operations, solidifying his home as the “Provisions State.”…
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Emma Hart Willard: Leader in Women’s Education
…Willard’s vision of women’s education, however, but governor Dewitt Clinton did. Support from the town of Troy then led to the town raising taxes to fund Willard’s educational endeavors. The…
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Ridgefield’s Keeler Tavern
…Connecticut during the Revolutionary War. In April 1777, British troops commanded by the governor of New York, Major General William Tryon, sailed to the mouth of the Saugatuck River and…
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L.D. Brown and Son Silk Mill: A Staple in Middletown’s South Farms District
…the L. D. Brown & Son Mill struggled. Mill owners convinced a former Connecticut governor, Owen Vincent Coffin, and his son to enter a joint business venture with them to…
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Linonian and Brothers in Unity: The Societies that Built Yale University’s Library
…Jr., served as secretary of treasury and the 24th governor of Connecticut. Wolcott’s interest in state politics stemmed, in part, from the ferocious undergraduate debates hosted by the Brothers in…
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Army-Navy “E” Award Honors Connecticut for Support Against the Axis Powers
…industries held memorable ceremonies when receiving the award. High-ranking military officers, the state’s governor, servicemen who were known for their valiant efforts during the war, as well as proud community…
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Cornfield Point: Old Saybrook’s Forgotten Scenic Alcove
…hands several times. In 1639, George Fenwick, governor of the colony, gained control of the area, which he eventually passed to his sister Elizabeth Cullick, who passed it to her…
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Connecticut’s French Connections
…Governor Thomas Fitch distributed these exiles among all the towns in the Connecticut Colony, handing responsibility for their wellbeing to the town selectmen. In Hartford, the selectmen had a small…
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Connecticut and the Armenian Genocide
…the Ottoman Empire, including Kurds, Greeks, Syrians, and Iranians. Although the United States did not officially recognize the Armenian genocide until 2021, Connecticut governors and legislators issued a series of…
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Connecticut’s Official State Flag – Who Knew?
…Groton requested the government adopt an official flag. Inspired by the D.A.R., Governor O. Vincent Coffin introduced the first proposal for the adoption of a state flag and the General…
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WDRC AM/FM – Connecticut’s Oldest Commercial Radio Station
…the inaugurations of governors and the University of Connecticut football and basketball games. Throughout its century-long history, the station has changed its name multiple times and moved around the state,…
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Arbor Day’s Roots in Connecticut – Who Knew?
…that Connecticut’s Reverend Birdsey Grant Northrop popularized Arbor Day celebrations in schools across the country. While J. Sterling Morton (governor of Nebraska Territory) started an annual day of planting trees…
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The Incident of the Stonington Schooner ‘Breakwater’: A View from Indian Country
…Aires government, by giving authority (as well as exclusive fishing and sealing rights) to a new governor of the Falkland Islands, Louis Vernet, it essentially issued a proclamation of sovereignty…
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Connecticut’s Only US President – Who Knew?
…to earn his own bachelor’s degree in history from Yale. After serving as governor of Texas for five years, Bush served two terms as President of the United States, from…
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Hartford’s Charles Dillingham Discovered Broadway Stars
…associates. Dillingham used his platform to promote the US Senate campaign of the state’s first governor, Watson C. Squire. For aiding in his win, Senator Squire brought Dillingham to Washington,…
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The Hartford Whalers: Connecticut’s Last Major League Sports Franchise
…for a return of NHL hockey to Hartford. In 2018, then Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy encouraged the Carolina Hurricanes to play some games at the XL Center. That has not…
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A Diversified Mind: Hiram Percy Maxim
…Boston. In December 1898, Maxim married Josephine Hamilton, the daughter of a former Maryland governor, and moved to Hartford. The couple had two children, son Hiram Hamilton and daughter Percy….
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The Litchfield Law School: Connecticut’s First Law School
…governorship under Oliver Wolcott Jr. and a majority of the General Assembly. A new state constitution, ratified the following year, eliminated all taxpayer support for the Congregational Church and extended…
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The Connecticut Valley Authority That Never Was
…did so in 1937, after Citron threatened them with another CVA bill. The compact, agreed to by the governors of the four Connecticut River states would have created the Connecticut…
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Eleazar Wheelock: Preacher, Dartmouth College Founder
…Legge, Earl of Dartmouth. Wheelock also contacted the Royal Governor of New Hampshire, John Wentworth, who provided land and secured a charter from King George III for the new college….
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Trolley Campaigners Storm Small Towns and Votes for Women is the Battle Cry
…and England. The remarkable list included US senators, a state governor, college presidents and professors, labor union leaders, and such notables as Inez Mullholland, Anna Howard Shaw, Jane Addams, Rheta…
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Elizabeth W. Coe Demands the Right of Jury Service
…the bill nearly a month later and Governor Wilbur L. Cross signed it on April 28, 1937, a full 12 years after Coe first demanded a women’s right of jury…
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Where It All Happened: Connecticut’s Old State House
…governor, comptroller, treasurer, secretary of the state, and the school fund occupied the first floor, and committee rooms resided on the second. Portraitist Rev. Joseph Steward located his painting room…
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Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett Helps Found Greenwich
…left England and traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the urging of his father, Governor John Winthrop, and tragically drowned his first day there. His death left Elizabeth a…
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The Fundamental Orders: Connecticut’s Role in Early Constitutional Government
…orders followed, ranging from setting rules for scheduling meetings and holding elections by free men using secret ballots to giving the governor and the six elected magistrates “power to administer…
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Sam Colt’s Funeral: The Day Hartford Stopped
…of both prosperity and adversity.” Four of the pallbearers had played major roles in Colt’s fortunes. They were Thomas H. Seymour, a former governor of Connecticut; Henry C. Deming, mayor…
Read Chief G’tinemong/Ralph W. Sturges
…State Animal) to Governor Ella Grasso and the presentation of a relief carving of Uncas’s Mark to Uncas Elementary School in Norwich. Ralph carved an Indian head logo (designed by…
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Chick Austin Modernizes a Connecticut Institution
…to become director at the Wadsworth Atheneum, was contacted by Governor Millard Caldwell and asked for assistance in recruiting the first director of the Ringling Museum. The museum had the…
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Israel Putnam: A Youthful Trailblazer Turned Colonial Militiaman
…of Connecticut. After purchasing a plot of uncultivated land from Massachusetts Governor Jonathan Belcher, a recently married Putnam and his 18-year-old bride, Hannah Pope, ventured about 75 miles south to…
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Vera Buch Weisbord’s “Radical” Life
…mobilized from New England to the Deep South. It was the largest strike in American history at the time and led to Connecticut governor Wilbur Cross mobilizing the National Guard….
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Roger Sherman, Revolutionary and Dedicated Public Servant
…but his grandson, Roger Sherman Baldwin, went on to serve both as a US senator and as governor of Connecticut. Two of his other grandsons, George F. Hoar and William…
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Crisis Management during the American Civil War: The Hartford Soldiers’ Aid Society
…total funding for the society in 1861. Under the advisement of Governor Buckingham, the Soldiers’ Aid Society split-up donations among towns, assigning specific towns to provide goods to specific Connecticut…
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East Haddam Swing Bridge – Today in History: June 14
…State Highway Department. The June 14 celebration included an address by Governor Simeon E. Baldwin, a 17-gun salute, an automobile parade, and a concert that drew thousands to the event….
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The Amistad
…the case in January of 1841. American abolitionists rallied to the defense of the Mende, raising money to hire future Connecticut governor Roger Sherman Baldwin and former US president John…
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Gideon Welles, US Secretary of the Navy and Lincoln’s “Neptune”
…as the representative from Glastonbury. After, he served as state Controller of Public Accounts in 1835 and Hartford postmaster from 1836 to 1841. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1856….
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Road Signs of the Air
…coasts be erased. A related World War II security measure was taken by Connecticut Governor Robert A. Hurley, who closed access to the 8,731 photographs from the 1934 aerial survey…
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Hurricanes Connie & Diane Deliver Double Hit – Who Knew?
…and the northwestern towns hard; northeastern towns such as Stafford Springs and Putnam were also hard hit, the latter suffering from the Quinebaug Dam’s collapse in Southbridge, Massachusetts. Governor Abraham…
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Hartford Circus Fire: “The Tent’s on Fire!” – Who Knew?
…of their safety.” Governor Raymond E. Baldwin personally directed rescue and relief work and “stayed on the job far into the night.” Additionally, “Scores of soldiers from a nearby army…
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Sheff v. O’Neill – Today in History: July 9
…lead plaintiff, claimed that the State, represented in the suit by Governor William O’Neill, had an obligation to provide Connecticut’s school children with access to a public education not substantially…
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Surveying Connecticut’s Borders
…the Narragansett Bay. Connecticut’s Governor Winthrop and Rhode Island’s Roger Williams and John Clarke, the agents for that colony, were both in England at the same time attempting to get…
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Bradley Airport’s Military Origins
…General Assembly agreed to purchase the land for Bradley Field at the urging of Governor Robert A. Hurley. Once the state completed the purchase, it leased the land to the…
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Andover Lake: A Lesson in Social Change
…Philpot, the State Civil Rights Commission stepped in on Philpot’s behalf, reporting the situation to Governor John Dempsey as an act of racial prejudice. Philpot claimed that bias on the…
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The Slaters Go Round the World
…hosted by royalty or important officials. On March 28, 1895, in Singapore, “Mr. Slater called on Sir Charles Mitchell, Governor of the Straits Settlements. Mrs. Slater attended the reception of…
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Collections: Battle Flags
…federal shield. Both clearly symbolized support for the federal government. State Turns to Tiffany & Company for New Flag Designs When William Aiken, Governor William Buckingham’s son-in-law, was appointed Quartermaster…
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The British Raid on Essex
…This was made clear in a letter from the selectmen of Saybrook (which at the time included Pettipaug) to Connecticut Governor John Cotton Smith. “Your Excellency must be sensible that…
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The Rise and Fall of Silas Deane, American Patriot
…Carol M. Highsmith Archive Mehitabel Deane died in 1767. Two years later, Deane married Elizabeth Saltonstall Evards, another wealthy widow whose grandfather had been a colonial governor. The Saltonstall connection…
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Noah Webster and the Dream of a Common Language
…with Thomas Hooker from Massachusetts to help found the Connecticut Colony and later served as governor. His maternal side could link its New England lineage back to William Bradford of…
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Discovered Dinosaur Tracks Re-Route Highway and Lead to State Park
…preservation. On August 26, 1966, state troopers erected a snow fence around the lake bed to protect the fossils from amateur collectors. One month later, Governor John Dempsey approved the…
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American Painter John Trumbull Born – Today in History: June 6
On June 6, 1756, John Trumbull, painter, architect, and author, was born in Lebanon. The son of Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Trumbull served in the Continental Army as an aide to…
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The Peace Movement in Litchfield
…war dissent, on September 1, 1861, Governor William Buckingham issued a proclamation outlawing the display of peace flags. Presentation of Colors to the 19th Connecticut Regiment, Litchfield, September 10, 1862…
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Hartford’s Nook Farm
…The Hartford Courant when the two newspapers consolidated. He was a Civil War general in the Union army who returned to Connecticut to serve as governor, congressman, and then, for…
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Airborne Pioneers: Connecticut Takes Flight
…public to this latest creation of the technological revolution: the airplane. State Passes World’s First Aeronautical Law Connecticut Governor Simon Baldwin responded to the advent of heavier-than-air flight by signing…
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Women
…advocate Isabella Beecher Hooker. Twentieth-century notables include Mary Townsend Seymour, champion of African Americans’ civil rights, and Ella Grasso, first woman to be elected a US governor in her own…
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Colonial Revival Movement Sought Stability during Time of Change
…the American Revolution preserved a former store and office in which Governor Jonathan Trumbull planned the defense of the Connecticut colony during the Revolutionary War. The Sons’ sister organization, the…
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General Joseph R. Hawley Helps Commemorate Connecticut’s Civil War Soldiers
…rose to the rank of brevet major general. After the war, Hawley served one year as governor, three terms in the US House of Representatives, and the last 24 years…
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Griswold
…the area to be called Jewett City. Originally part of Preston, the town, named after Governor Roger Griswold, incorporated in 1815. In 1895, Jewett City incorporated as a borough of…
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An Overview of Connecticut’s Outdoor Sculpture
…somber figure to stand before Hale’s student residence at Yale. Copies were made for Fort Nathan Hale in New Haven and the Connecticut Governor’s Residence. Reformers and Industrialists By the…
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Plainfield
The town of Plainfield, located in Windham County, is in the northeastern part of the state and close to the Rhode Island border. Incorporated in 1699 as Quinebaug, Governor Fitz-John…
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Farmington Canal’s Ground-Breaking – Today in History: July 4
On July 4, 1825, the ground-breaking ceremonies for the Farmington Canal took place at Salmon Brook village in Granby. Governor Oliver Wolcott gave the day’s address to the 2,000 to…
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Old Saybrook
…settled by the Dutch, the English granted a deed of conveyance, known as the Warwick Patent, and commissioned John Winthrop Jr. as governor. This lead to the building of Fort…
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Hartford Wide-Awakes – Today in History: July 26
…club organized in March of 1860 in response to Connecticut’s spring election between Republican Governor William A. Buckingham and his challenger, Democrat Thomas Seymour. The Wide-Awakes’ success in rallying the…
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Oliver Cromwell Launched – Today in History: June 13
…the establishment of Connecticut’s navy. The Navy was formed after the start of the American Revolutionary War in July of 1775 when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized Governor Jonathan Trumbull…
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The Lemon Law – Today in History: June 4
…The bill, PA 82-287, was signed into law by Governor William A. O’Neill. In order to be considered a “lemon” in Connecticut, a new motor vehicle that is purchased or…
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The British Attack Danbury – Today in History: April 26
On April 25, 1777, British forces land at the mouth of the Saugatuck River with plans to attack Danbury. General William Howe had ordered Major General William Tryon, royal governor…
Read The Unsteady Meaning of “The Land of Steady Habits”
…equally useful as an ironic shorthand for aristocratic rule, cronyism, inequitable taxation, entrenched corruption, and backward thinking. Thus the state’s Federalist governor could accuse his opponents in 1801 of trying…
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Nathaniel Lyon: Colorful Commander from Connecticut
…a fanatical abolitionist and Congregational zealot and used corporal punishment for even the smallest infractions. Missouri was a slave state, and in 1861, its governor Claiborne Fox Jackson formed a…
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Seymour was Chusetown – Who Knew?
…that this small but thriving town had many names before 1850, when residents decided to name their home Seymour after Connecticut governor Thomas H. Seymour. Originally named Chuseville, the area…
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A Celebrated Artist and a Meaningful Space – Today in History: October 20
…Museum and Historical Society Miss Marian Anderson, Governor John Dempsey, State Representative William R. Ratchford, Mayor J. Thayer Bowman and members of the Danbury Scott-Fanton Museum & Historical Society, local…
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Connecticut in the French and Indian War
…Fitch said, “plundered, stripped, killed and scalped our people.” “Our treasury is exhausted, our substance consumed [and] the number of our able-bodied men much lessened,” Connecticut’s able colonial governor Thomas…
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A Soldier’s Welcome
…the Civil War generation. The Forlorn Soldier, now protected from the elements, joined other relics commemorating the Civil War. These artifacts include a statue of Civil War Governor William Buckingham…
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Pomp and Circumstance: Civil War Commemoration
…William Buckingham, Connecticut’s governor during the war. As described in a Hartford Courant article, the town basically shut down so people could attend the event: “The soldiers’ monument was dedicated…
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The Gettysburg Address and Heroic Fathers Bronze Tablets at the State Capitol
…women who have supported them in their work.” Introduced by Colonel Ira Wildman, chief-of-staff for the Connecticut GAR, both tablets were formally accepted by Lieutenant Governor J. Edwin Brainard. In…
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A Memorial to General Hawley at the State Capitol
…the 42nd Governor of Connecticut (in 1866) by a narrow margin. During an understated inauguration, Hawley saw the opportunity to express his beliefs as an abolitionist by stating in his…
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Gun Wheel of the First Light Battery, Connecticut Volunteers
…George Metcalf of Hartford died on May 14, 1864, from wounds received at the Battle of Proctor’s Creek. Metcalf had been commissioned by Connecticut Governor William Buckingham to recruit the…
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The Danbury Hatters
…pelts in which contained significant quantities of mercury nitrate. (It was not until 1941 that Connecticut governor Robert Hurley banned the use of mercury for this purpose.) As labor relations…
Read Unveiling of the Grant Memorial Tablet – Today in History: October 4
…James J. Dunlop, D.D., pastor of Hartford’s First Congregational Church. Charles H. Bissell, who first raised the idea of commissioning a monument to Grant, presented the tablet to Lieutenant Governor…
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A Day of Celebration – Today in History: September 17
…Building, each regiment handed their battle torn flags over to Governor Charles B. Andrews who gratefully accepted them. After the ceremony, the 10,000 veterans made their way to Bushnell Park…
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Just Pour Over Ice – Who Knew?
…meet demand. In 1875 the Governor’s Foot Guard’s annual picnic was cancelled due to rain, but the Heublein Restaurant had already mixed up large batches of cocktails for the occasion….
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Merritt Parkway 1939
…of the county’s residents lobbied for a “parallel post road” which would divert high-speed passenger traffic away from Route 1. In 1925 Governor Wilbur Cross endorsed the proposal, and two…
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Timeline: Settlement of the Colony of Connecticut
…Milford, and Stratford. John Haynes is chosen as Connecticut’s first governor. 1643 Connecticut becomes a founding member of the New England Confederation. 1644 The Saybrook and Connecticut colonies unite. 1646…
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Hidden Nearby: Two Monuments to Sportsmen at Housatonic Meadows State Park
…Conservation Corps One of the first camps was Camp Cross in West Cornwall, Connecticut. Named for Connecticut governor Wilbur Cross, it opened on June 20, 1933, and was one of…
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Family Ties Bring Together North Branford Industry
…them. While Samuel Maltby’s bride, Charlotte, was the daughter of the governor of Barbados—no doubt meeting her husband during one of his trips to the West Indies on behalf of…
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John Trumbull
…in 1756, Trumbull was the son of Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull and graduated from Harvard College in 1773 before briefly serving as George Washington’s aide-de-camp during the Revolutionary War. In…
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From the State Historian: Connecticut’s Slow Steps Toward Emancipation
…War emancipation were mixed: While Connecticut Republican Governor William Buckingham personally traveled to Washington to urge President Lincoln to emancipate enslaved people months before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, other…
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Why Was New Haven Divided into Nine Squares?
…The quarters were commonly known by their principal occupants: Governor Eaton, Robert Newman, John Davenport, Edward Tench, and George Lamberton. New Haven’s Nine Squares are bounded by the streets known…
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Ending the Danbury Shakes: A Story of Workers’ Rights and Corporate Responsibility
…in the production of hats. On December 1, 1941, Governor Robert A. Hurley announced Connecticut’s adoption of the ban on the use of mercury, saying that “it was possible to…
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New Connecticut on Lake Erie: Connecticut’s Western Reserve
…to migrate. In 1800, when the Western Reserve became part of the Northwest Territory, it was named Trumbull County after Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull. In 1803, Trumbull County became part…
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Herbert Abrams Immortalizes the Nation’s Leaders
…portraits of Connecticut Governors Grasso and Meskill put on display at the State Capitol; a portrait of Senator Howard H. Baker hung in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC; a…
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Hammonasset State Park Serves the State and its Residents
…and overflowing parking lots, Governor Ella Grasso stepped in to appropriate state funds for adding more parking, widening the area’s access roads, providing areas for supporting bus traffic, and improving…
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Grounds for Divorce – Who Knew?
…Assistants in 1666. Enacted by the Governor and Council and House of Representatives, the act defined sufficient grounds as “adultery, or fraudulent contract, or willful desertion for three years with…
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The Sand Hogs Set the Foundation for the Bulkeley Bridge
…named to commemorate Morgan Bulkeley, who, in addition to serving as Hartford’s mayor, Connecticut’s governor, and a US senator, had been the head of the Commission that oversaw the bridge’s…
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The Free Consent of the People: Thomas Hooker and the Fundamental Orders
…framework of government known as the Fundamental Orders. Under the Orders, citizens elected representatives to a legislature that would enact the laws of the land. The governor was elected as…
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Wallingford Native Son Signed the Declaration of Independence
…high treason. Hall fled to South Carolina and eventually came back to Connecticut to stay with family. He returned to Georgia in 1782 and served as governor there in 1783,…
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Connecticut’s “The Legend of the Charter Oak”
…the Royal Governor of the Dominion, met with leaders of the Connecticut colony in Hartford. Debates continued for hours as the colonists steadfastly refused to give up the Charter. According…
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The Answer Is Risom!
By Mary Dunne for Connecticut Explored In March 1966, Connecticut Governor John Dempsey addressed the national sales meeting of Jens Risom Design, Inc., at its plant in North Grosvenordale, a…
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Jeremiah Wadsworth, “foremost in every enterprise”
…First Church, and Abigail Talcott, the daughter of Joseph Talcott, Colony governor from 1725 to 1741. Losing both parents as a child, he was raised by his uncle, Matthew Talcott,…
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Diamonds of the Past: Hartford’s Lost Ball Parks
…Company, Mayor of Hartford, Governor of Connecticut, and a United States Senator. Located at the corner of Hamner and George Streets, Bulkeley Stadium housed semi-professional teams and future Hall-of-Famers for…
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Faith Trumbull: The Artist Was a Young Girl
By Kate Steinway for Your Public Media In 1754, eleven-year-old Faith Trumbull (1743–1775), the daughter of Governor Jonathan Trumbull of Lebanon, Connecticut, was sent to boarding school in Boston. In…
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Connecticut’s Valley Forge: The Redding Encampment and Putnam Memorial State Park
…facilities, and officers’ quarters. Just like at Valley Forge the winter before, the conditions in Redding were terrible, and the soldiers sent a petition to Governor Jonathan Trumbull complaining about…
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