1. David Daggett helped block plans for the first college for African Americans in the United States and presided over the conviction of a woman running a boarding school for African Americans in violation of Connecticut's recently passed Black Law.
David Daggett judged African Americans not to be citizens and supported their colonization to Africa.
The original David Daggett, John, came over from England with Winthrop's company, in 1630, and settled in Watertown.
At the age of 16, David Daggett enrolled at Yale College, entering the junior class two years early.
David Daggett graduated with high honor in 1783 and then earned a master's degree.
David Daggett was in the same class with Samuel Austin, Abiel Holmes and John Cotton Smith.
David Daggett had 19 children, but only 14 lived any considerable time, and only three survived him.
One daughter, Susan Edwards David Daggett, married Chaplain of the Senate Reverend Sereno Edwards Dwight, son of the President of Yale, Timothy Dwight IV.
In November 1824, David Daggett became an associate instructor of the New Haven Law School; and in 1826, he was appointed Kent Professor of Law at Yale.
David Daggett held these positions until health conditions forced him to resign.
In May 1840, David Daggett married Mary Lines, who was with him at the time of his death.
David Daggett died in New Haven, Connecticut, and was interred at Grove Street Cemetery.
David Daggett was admitted to the bar and entered into public life two years before the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.
David Daggett returned to the House for a one-year term in 1805.
In 1797, David Daggett was elected to the Connecticut State Council, and he retained his seat there for seven years, until he resigned it in 1804.
David Daggett returned to the Council in 1809, retaining his seat until he was elected to the US Senate in 1813.
David Daggett was elected to the Senate as a Federalist to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Chauncey Goodrich and served from May 13,1813, to March 3,1819.
In 1825 and 1826, David Daggett was an unsuccessful nominee for governor of Connecticut, losing in a landslide both times to incumbent Oliver Wolcott Jr.
David Daggett was appointed to that office by a Legislature in which a decided majority was opposed to him in political principles and preferences, and yet the respect he had garnered as a public official and lawyer swayed their vote in his favor.
David Daggett served as the Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, from 1828 to 1829.
David Daggett continued in that office until December 31,1834; 70 years was the limit that the state constitution assigned to the judicial office, and in May 1834, it was reported that the governor had notified the state senate that following Daggett's approaching 70th birthday, he would no longer be legally eligible to serve on the court.
David Daggett led the opposition to this plan, which was scuttled at a town meeting when a resolution against it that David Daggett helped draft was passed by a vote of a 700 to 4.
Chief Justice David Daggett ruled in 1833 that, since free black people could not be US citizens, they could be prevented from being educated.
In 1835, David Daggett undertook another town meeting linking states' rights, pro-colonization and anti-abolitionism.
In 1844 David Daggett voted to restore the vote to blacks in a state referendum.