James Hillhouse
James Hillhouse | |
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President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
In office February 28, 1801 – March 4, 1801 | |
Preceded by | John E. Howard |
Succeeded by | Abraham Baldwin |
United States Senator from Connecticut | |
In office December 6, 1796 – June 10, 1810 | |
Preceded by | Oliver Ellsworth |
Succeeded by | Samuel W. Dana |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's at-large district | |
In office March 4, 1791 – December 5, 1796 | |
Preceded by | Benjamin Huntington |
Succeeded by | James Davenport |
Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives | |
In office 1780–1785 | |
Personal details | |
Born | October 20, 1754 Montville, Connecticut Colony, British America |
Died | December 29, 1832 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 78)
Resting place | Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut |
Political party | Federalist |
Alma mater | Yale University |
Profession | lawyer, realtor, politician |
James Hillhouse (October 20, 1754 – December 29, 1832) was an American lawyer, real estate developer, and politician from New Haven, Connecticut. He represented the state in both chambers of the US Congress.
Early life[]
Hillhouse was born in Montville in the Connecticut Colony, the son of William Hillhouse and Sarah (Griswold) Hillhouse.[1] At the age of seven, he was adopted by his childless uncle and aunt, James Abraham and Mary Lucas Hillhouse. He attended the Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, Connecticut and graduated from Yale College in 1773. At Yale he was a member of the Linonian Society. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1775 and practiced law in New Haven.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/James_Hillhouse%27s_commission_in_Governor%27s_Foot_Guards.jpg/220px-James_Hillhouse%27s_commission_in_Governor%27s_Foot_Guards.jpg)
Revolutionary War[]
During the Revolutionary War, Hillhouse served as captain of the Second Company of the Governor's Foot Guard. During the successful British invasion of New Haven on July 5, 1779, he commanded troops alongside Aaron Burr, with Yale student volunteers.[2]
Career[]
Hillhouse was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1780 to 1785. He was a member of the Connecticut council of Assistants from 1789 to 1790 and was elected as a US representative from Connecticut at large for the Second, Third, and Fourth Congresses and served from March 4, 1791 to his resignation, in the fall of 1796.[2]
Elected as a US senator on May 12, 1796, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Oliver Ellsworth, Hillhouse was re-elected in 1797, 1803, and 1809, and he served from December 1796 to June 10, 1810, when he resigned. During the Sixth Congress he was President pro tempore of the Senate.[3]
In 1803, Hillhouse and several other New England politicians proposed secession of New England from the union because of the growing influence of Jeffersonian Democrats, especially after the Louisiana Purchase, which would further diminish Northern and Federalist influence.
Hillhouse was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1813.[4]
In 1814, he was a Connecticut delegate to the Hartford Convention, and he was treasurer of Yale College from 1782 to 1832.[5]
He died in 1832 in New Haven and is interred at the city's Grove Street Cemetery.[6]
Legacy[]
Hillhouse made major contributions to the beautification of New Haven.[5] He was active in the drive to plant the elm trees, which gave New Haven the nickname of "Elm City." Hillhouse Avenue and James Hillhouse High School, in New Haven, are named after him.
He was a nephew of Matthew Griswold and an uncle of Thomas Hillhouse.
References[]
- ^ "James Hillhouse". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "James Hillhouse". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ "James Hillhouse". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
- ^ Jump up to: a b "James Hillhouse" (PDF). Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
- ^ "James Hillhouse". Find A Grave. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
External links[]
- 1754 births
- 1832 deaths
- 18th-century American politicians
- 19th-century American politicians
- 18th-century American lawyers
- Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818)
- Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
- United States senators from Connecticut
- Connecticut Federalists
- Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate
- Yale College alumni
- Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution
- Burials at Grove Street Cemetery
- People from Montville, Connecticut
- Businesspeople from New Haven, Connecticut
- Federalist Party United States senators
- Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- Military personnel from Connecticut
- Members of the American Antiquarian Society
- People of colonial Connecticut