Governor Samuel Huntington

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, the third governor of Ohio, was born in Coventry, Connecticut on October 4, 1765. As a young child, he was adopted and raised by his uncle, Samuel Huntington, a governor of Connecticut and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His education was attained at Dartmouth College and at Yale University, where he graduated in 1785. He went on to study law, and then established his legal career, first in Connecticut and later in Ohio. Huntington first entered politics as supervisor of roads, a position he won election to in 1802. He served as justice of peace in 1802; and was a delegate to the 1802 Ohio Constitutional Convention. He also served as a member and speaker of the General Assembly in 1803; and was an Ohio State Supreme Court justice from 1803 to 1808, serving as chief justice in 1804. Huntington next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor in 1808. During his tenure, war with Great Britain was approaching; the state’s “blue laws” were sanctioned; the state capital was moved to Zanesville; and the Tiffin resolution was initiated that revoked the terms of all sitting judges. After completing his term, Huntington ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Senate. However, he did win election to the Ohio House of Representatives, an office he held from 1811 to 1812. In his last position, Huntington served as district army paymaster in 1813. Governor Samuel Huntington passed away on June 8, 1817 in Painesville, Ohio.