Ellsworth, Oliver

Detail from a portrait of Oliver Ellsworth, ca. 1891 - Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

http://connecticuthistory.org/people/oliver-ellsworth/

House image from http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=141

Oliver Ellsworth was an attorney, lawmaker, and diplomat involved in some of the most celebrated achievements of the colonial period. Born in Windsor in 1745, he studied law and attended both Yale and the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton) before being admitted to the bar in 1771. He served throughout the Revolutionary War in many state and federal political positions, including delegate to the Continental Congress, member of Connecticut's Council of Safety, the Governor's Council, and Committee of the Pay Table. In 1787, he took part in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and played a key role in the "Connecticut Compromise." Along with William Samuel Johnson, Ellsworth served as one of Connecticut's first two United States senators in the new federal government, and his service extended from 1789 to 1796. In 1796, Ellsworth accepted an appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Ellsworth retired after just a few years but then accepted an appointment as a commissioner to France. He returned to America in 1801 and withdrew from public life. He passed away in Windsor in 1807.

Article from Connecticut History.org http://connecticuthistory.org/people/oliver-ellsworth/

(Also read articles about Ellsworth from the right sidebar)

Oliver Ellsworth Homestead http://www.ellsworthhomesteaddar.org/pb/wp_57a64b1b/wp_57a64b1b.html

"Oliver Ellsworth". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015

<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/185175/Oliver-Ellsworth>.

"The Oliver Ellsworth Homestead (1781)". Historic Buildings of Connecticut RSS. N.p., 15 Sept. 2007. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=141>

"The Constitution of the United States: America's Founding Fathers."National Archives and Records Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_founding_fathers_connecticut.html>.

Painting of Oliver Ellsworth and Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth

"The Connecticut Digital Archive Collections." Oliver Ellsworth and Abigail Wolcott Ellsworth. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://collections.ctdigitalarchive.org/islandora/object/250002%3A1>.

Images from the Oliver Ellsworth House

Steinhart, Jim. "Oliver Ellsworth Homestead Museum, Windsor, CT Photos."Oliver Ellsworth Homestead Museum, Windsor, CT Pictures by Travel Photo Base. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://travelphotobase.com/u/CT/CTKWH7.HTM>.

Document: Receipt for payment to Major General Israel Putnam for his services during the Lexington Alarm in April 1775. Putnam marched a group of Connecticut men to the defense of Boston and received payment of six pounds for his wages and expenses. This receipt is dated April 1, 1776 and is signed by Oliver Ellsworth among others.

Payment to Israel Putnam for Services during the Lexington Alarm, 1776. Digital image. Connecticut State Library: Treasures of Connecticut Libraries. Windsor Historical Society, Windsor, CT, 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2015. <http://cslib.cdmhost.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/p128501coll0/id/2144/rec/6>.