1. Jeremiah Wadsworth was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army.
19 Facts About Jeremiah Wadsworth
1. 2.
Jeremiah Wadsworth represented Connecticut in both the Continental Congress and the United States House of Representatives.
3.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was a son of Daniel Wadsworth and Abigail Wadsworth.
4.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was a descendant of William Wadsworth, one of the founders of Hartford and a pastor of the town's Center Congregational Church.
5.
Jeremiah Wadsworth went to sea in 1761 at the age of 18 for health reasons, starting as a regular sailor on one of his uncle's ships.
6.
Jeremiah Wadsworth served on another committee to procure 1,800 pounds of "lawful money in specie" in exchange for bills for use by the army.
7.
Jeremiah Wadsworth is said to have turned a good profit for himself in his transactions for supplies.
8.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was a good friend of Nathanael Greene and during the time Greene was Quarter-master General they formed some investment partnerships.
9.
Jeremiah Wadsworth bought an entire family, including Peleg Nott, who went on to become a Black Governor of Connecticut, presiding over the state's Black community.
10.
Jeremiah Wadsworth became a "pioneer in banking, insurance, and the breeding of cattle" after the war, according to historian North Callahan.
11.
Jeremiah Wadsworth served as the second President of the Bank of New York from 1785 to 1786.
12.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was a member of the Continental Congress in 1788 and a member of the Connecticut convention which ratified the US Constitution in 1788.
13.
Jeremiah Wadsworth initially lost reelection in 1790 but was specially reelected when his initial successor Pierpont Edwards declined to take his seat.
14.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1795 and of the state Executive Council from 1795 to 1801, and simultaneously served as a judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors.
15.
Jeremiah Wadsworth was appointed Treaty Commissioner, by George Washington, at the Treaty of Big Tree between the US and the Seneca nation in 1797.
16.
In 1767, Wadsworth married Mehithabel Russell, a daughter of William H Russell and Mary Russell.
17.
Jeremiah Wadsworth built two mansions near his own house, one for his daughter Catharine, who had married Nathaniel Terry, and one for his son, Daniel Wadsworth.
18.
Jeremiah Wadsworth died in Hartford, Connecticut, April 30,1804, and is interred in the Ancient Burying Ground.
19.
In World War II, the United States liberty ship SS Jeremiah Wadsworth was named in his honor.