Representative Reuben Humphrey

Reuben Humphrey (September 2, 1757 – August 12, 1831) was a United States Representative from New York and a Revolutionary War officer whose public career spanned both Connecticut and New York. He was born in West Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, on September 2, 1757. He completed preparatory studies in his native community before entering military service at the outset of the American Revolution.

Humphrey enlisted as a private in the Connecticut Militia during the Revolutionary War and saw active service in several engagements, including the Battle of Long Island in 1776. Over the course of the war he received a commission as an officer, reflecting his advancement and continued responsibility in the Continental cause. After the Revolution he remained in military service, continuing with the militia in the postwar period, and was ultimately discharged with the rank of major in 1796, marking nearly two decades of involvement in military affairs.

Alongside his military service, Humphrey embarked on a career in public life in Connecticut. He held several local offices and was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1779, 1791, and 1793, participating in the legislative affairs of the state during its early years under the new federal Constitution. He also served for five years as Keeper of Newgate State Prison in Simsbury, Connecticut, an early state penal institution, where he was responsible for the administration and oversight of the facility.

In 1801 Humphrey moved from Connecticut to Onondaga County in central New York, where he took up farming in the towns of Marcellus and Onondaga. He quickly became active in local government, serving as First Judge of Onondaga County from 1804 to 1807, a position that placed him at the head of the county’s court system, and as Town Supervisor of Onondaga in 1805. His judicial and supervisory roles reflected his growing prominence in the civic life of the developing region.

Humphrey entered national politics as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. In 1806 he was elected to the Tenth United States Congress as a Democratic-Republican Representative from New York, and he served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1809. During this period he represented his New York constituency in the federal legislature at a time marked by rising tensions with Great Britain and debates over trade restrictions. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1808 and returned to his pursuits in New York following the conclusion of his term.

After leaving Congress, Humphrey continued to hold important positions in New York state and local government. He again served as Town Supervisor of Onondaga in 1810, and from 1811 to 1815 he was a member of the New York State Senate, participating in state legislative deliberations during the years surrounding the War of 1812. In 1812 he also served as Public School Inspector for the town of Onondaga, reflecting his involvement in the oversight of local education. Following these years of public service, he resumed his agricultural activities.

Humphrey spent his later years engaged in farming near Marcellus, Onondaga County. He died near Marcellus on August 12, 1831. He was interred in the Old Village Cemetery in Marcellus, New York, closing a life that combined military service in the Revolutionary era with a long record of legislative, judicial, and local administrative service in both Connecticut and New York.