Roger Sherman Baldwin
Encyclopedia
Roger Sherman Baldwin was an American
lawyer
involved in the Amistad
case, who later became the 17th Governor of Connecticut
and a United States Senator.
and Rebecca Sherman in New Haven, Connecticut
. He was the maternal grandson of notable founding father Roger Sherman
(the only person to sign all four great state papers of the U.S.: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence
, the Articles of Confederation
and the Constitution
). He attended Hopkins School
, and entered Yale College
at the age of fourteen, and graduated with high honors in 1811. After leaving Yale he studied law in his father's office in New Haven, and also in the Litchfield Law School
, and was admitted to the bar in 1814. Although repeatedly called into public office, he devoted himself through life to the profession of his choice, attaining the highest distinction, especially in the discussion of questions of law. His defense in 1841, of the rights of the Africans of the Amistad
, is celebrated both on account of its marked ability, and also because of the peculiar interest which was felt in these unfortunate captives.
to fill the vacancy thus occasioned in the United States Senate
, and in December of that year he took his seat as a member of that body. He was elected by the Legislature in the following May to the same position, which he held until 1851. After that period he held no public office, except that he was one of the presidential electors in the canvass of 1860, and by appointment of Governor William Alfred Buckingham
was a delegate to the Peace Convention which met in Washington, in 1861, by request of the State of Virginia. He was described as a devout Christian who studied the Bible every day.
Baldwin died in New Haven, February 19, 1863; at the age of 70 and was interred at Grove Street Cemetery. A biographical discourse was pronounced at his funeral by Rev. Dr. Dutton, which was printed in the New Englander for April 1863, and was also published as a pamphlet.
, son of Simeon Baldwin
, nephew of Ebenezer Baldwin
, husband of Emily Pitkin Perkins
, father of Connecticut Governor Simeon Eben Baldwin
, grandfather of New York Supreme Court Justice Edward Baldwin Whitney
, and the great-grandfather of the famed Princeton University
mathematics professor Hassler Whitney
.
in 1997 in which Matthew McConaughey
portrayed Roger Sherman Baldwin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
involved in the Amistad
Amistad (1841)
The Amistad, also known as United States v. Libellants and Claimants of the Schooner Amistad, 40 U.S. 518 , was a United States Supreme Court case resulting from the rebellion of slaves on board the Spanish schooner Amistad in 1839...
case, who later became the 17th Governor of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and a United States Senator.
Early life
Baldwin was born to Simeon BaldwinSimeon Baldwin
Simeon Baldwin was son-in-law of Roger Sherman, father of Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin and the grandfather of Connecticut Governor Simeon Eben Baldwin. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies Simeon Baldwin (December 14, 1761 – May 26, 1851) was...
and Rebecca Sherman 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...
. He was the maternal grandson of notable founding father Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
(the only person to sign all four great state papers of the U.S.: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
and the Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
). He attended Hopkins School
Hopkins School
The Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational day school, located in New Haven, Connecticut....
, and entered Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
at the age of fourteen, and graduated with high honors in 1811. After leaving Yale he studied law in his father's office in New Haven, and also in the Litchfield Law School
Litchfield Law School
The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first formal school offering training for the legal profession in the United States. It was established in 1784 by Tapping Reeve, who would later became the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court...
, and was admitted to the bar in 1814. Although repeatedly called into public office, he devoted himself through life to the profession of his choice, attaining the highest distinction, especially in the discussion of questions of law. His defense in 1841, of the rights of the Africans of the Amistad
Amistad (1841)
The Amistad, also known as United States v. Libellants and Claimants of the Schooner Amistad, 40 U.S. 518 , was a United States Supreme Court case resulting from the rebellion of slaves on board the Spanish schooner Amistad in 1839...
, is celebrated both on account of its marked ability, and also because of the peculiar interest which was felt in these unfortunate captives.
Political career
After having been a member of the city government in New Haven, in 1826 and 1828, Mr. Baldwin was elected in 1837 and again in 1838, a member of the Connecticut State Senate. In 1840 and 1841 he represented the town of New Haven in the General Assembly. He was chosen Governor of Connecticut in 1844 and was reelected in 1845. On the death of Hon. J. W. Huntington in 1847, Baldwin was appointed by Governor Clark BissellClark Bissell
Clark Bissell was an American politician and the 19th Governor of Connecticut.- Early life :Bissell was born in Lebanon, Connecticut on September 7, 1782. He studied at Yale College and graduated in 1806...
to fill the vacancy thus occasioned in 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...
, and in December of that year he took his seat as a member of that body. He was elected by the Legislature in the following May to the same position, which he held until 1851. After that period he held no public office, except that he was one of the presidential electors in the canvass of 1860, and by appointment of Governor William Alfred Buckingham
William Alfred Buckingham
William Alfred Buckingham was a Republican United States Senator from Connecticut.Born in Lebanon, Connecticut, Buckingham attended the common schools and Bacon Academy in Colchester, Connecticut. He engaged in mercantile pursuits and in manufacturing. He served as the mayor of Norwich,...
was a delegate to the Peace Convention which met in Washington, in 1861, by request of the State of Virginia. He was described as a devout Christian who studied the Bible every day.
Baldwin died in New Haven, February 19, 1863; at the age of 70 and was interred at Grove Street Cemetery. A biographical discourse was pronounced at his funeral by Rev. Dr. Dutton, which was printed in the New Englander for April 1863, and was also published as a pamphlet.
Family
He was grandson of Roger ShermanRoger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
, son of Simeon Baldwin
Simeon Baldwin
Simeon Baldwin was son-in-law of Roger Sherman, father of Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin and the grandfather of Connecticut Governor Simeon Eben Baldwin. He was born in Norwich, Connecticut. He completed preparatory studies Simeon Baldwin (December 14, 1761 – May 26, 1851) was...
, nephew of Ebenezer Baldwin
Ebenezer Baldwin
Chaplain Ebenezer Baldwin was a noted religious leader in Connecticut in the years preceding the American Revolution. He was the eldest son of Captain Ebenezer Baldwin of Norwich, Connecticut; and grandson of Thomas and Abigail Baldwin, of that part of Norwich which is now Bozrah. His mother was...
, husband of Emily Pitkin Perkins
Emily Pitkin Perkins
Emily Pitkin Baldwin, , was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Enoch Perkins and Hannah Pitkin. On 25 October 1820 she married Roger Sherman Baldwin, who became the Connecticut, Governor in 1844 and US Senator in 1847...
, father of Connecticut Governor Simeon Eben Baldwin
Simeon Eben Baldwin
Simeon Eben Baldwin , jurist, law professor and the 50th Governor of Connecticut, was the son of jurist, Connecticut governor and U.S. Senator Roger Sherman Baldwin and Emily Pitkin Perkins...
, grandfather of New York Supreme Court Justice Edward Baldwin Whitney
Edward Baldwin Whitney
-Life:Edward Baldwin Whitney was born August 16, 1857. His father was linguist William Dwight Whitney of the new England Dwight family. His mother was Elizabeth Wooster Baldwin, daughter of US Senator and Governor of Connecticut Roger Sherman Baldwin....
, and the great-grandfather of the famed Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
mathematics professor Hassler Whitney
Hassler Whitney
Hassler Whitney was an American mathematician. He was one of the founders of singularity theory, and did foundational work in manifolds, embeddings, immersions, and characteristic classes.-Work:...
.
Roger Baldwin in popular culture
A simplified version of the events regarding the Amistad case was made into a movie called AmistadAmistad (1997 film)
Amistad is a 1997 historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the true story of a mutiny in 1839 by newly captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the Northeastern United States and the legal battle that...
in 1997 in which Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
portrayed Roger Sherman Baldwin.
External links
- Roger Sherman Baldwin at Findagrave.com
- Connecticut Governor Roger Sherman Baldwin from the Connecticut State Library
- US Senator Roger Sherman Baldwin US Congress
- Baldwin Family Papers at Yale University
- Roger Sherman Baldwin (1793-1863) Guide to Research Papers
- Sherman Genealogy Including Families of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, England By Thomas Townsend Sherman
- Hoar-Baldwin-Foster-Sherman family of Massachusetts at Political Graveyard