Samuel Huntington

Samuel Huntington was born in 1731 in Windham, Connecticut, apprenticed as a cooper, and then studied law. He built a practice in Norwich, entered colonial politics, and was sent to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence and later the Articles of Confederation. From 1779 to 1781 he served as president of Congress, the presiding officer of the confederation government, including the period when the Articles of Confederation formally took effect. After returning to Connecticut he became governor, an office he held from 1786 until his death, and he supported ratification of the federal Constitution. Huntington was a quiet, orderly public servant rather than a famous orator, and he remained a regular member of the Congregational church in Norwich. He died in 1796.

See also: Signers of the Declaration · Roger Sherman · William Williams · Oliver Wolcott