Pierpont Edwards
Encyclopedia
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
, and later a United States federal judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
. He has been described as "a brilliant but erratic member of the Connecticut bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
, tolerant in religious matters and bitterly hated by stern Calvinists, a man whose personal morality resembled greatly that of Aaron Burr". Pierpont Edwards was the founder of the Toleration Party
Toleration Party
The Toleration Party was a political party active in Connecticut in the early 19th century...
in Connecticut.
He was born in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
as the 11th and youngest child of the Rev. Jonathan Edwards. Pierrepont Edwards graduated from Princeton College in 1768, at the age of 18, and entered private practice of law in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
in 1771. He served in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the Revolutionary War, and thereafter was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency containing nearly 22,600 residents...
in 1777, a Delegate from Connecticut to the Continental Congress from 1787 to 1788, and a member of the Connecticut Convention held in January 1788, a convention that ratified the Constitution of the United States. After the treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
of Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
, he became administrator of that officer's estate. Edwards was again in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1784 to 1785 and from 1787 to 1790. He was in private practice of law in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
from 1790 to 1806, also serving in that time as the United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for Connecticut.
On February 21, 1806, Edwards was nominated by President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven. Appeals from the court are heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit...
vacated by Richard Law
Richard Law (judge)
Richard Law was an American lawyer, jurist and statesman from New London, Connecticut.Born in Milford, Connecticut, Law graduated from Yale College in 1751 and read law to enter the bar in 1755. He was in private practice in Milford from 1755 to 1757, and in New London, Connecticut from 1757 to 1765...
. Edwards was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on February 24, 1806, and received his commission the same day, serving thereafter for twenty years, until his death.
He died in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
, and was interred at Grove Street Cemetery. Pierpont Township
Pierpont Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio
Pierpont Township is one of the twenty-seven townships of Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,197 people in the township.-Geography:Located on the eastern edge of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Ashtabula County
Ashtabula County, Ohio
Ashtabula County is the northeasternmost county in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 101,497, its county seat is Jefferson. The county is named for a Native American word meaning "river of many fish"....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
is named for him. There is a dormitory building at UMass Amherst named after him as well.
He was the uncle of Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr
Aaron Burr, Jr. was an important political figure in the early history of the United States of America. After serving as a Continental Army officer in the Revolutionary War, Burr became a successful lawyer and politician...
, Theodore Dwight
Theodore Dwight (elder)
Theodore Dwight was an American lawyer and journalist.He was the brother of Timothy Dwight, president of Yale, and the grandson of Jonathan Edwards...
, and Timothy Dwight IV
Timothy Dwight IV
Timothy Dwight was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author...
, and father of Henry W. Edwards
Henry W. Edwards
Henry Waggaman Edwards was the 27th and 29th Governor of the U.S. state of Connecticut.He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Pierpont Edwards...
and John Stark Edwards.