Samuel Huntington, born in July 1731 in Windham, Connecticut, was a lifelong public servant devoted to the cause of American independence. Raised on his family’s 180-acre farm, Huntington received his early education in local public schools and grew up in what would now be considered a middle-class household.

He initially apprenticed as a laborer making barrels and casks, but turned his interest toward law. Teaching himself with borrowed books, he was admitted to the bar at age 23 and earned such a strong reputation that he was appointed King’s Attorney for Connecticut.

Huntington’s political career advanced quickly. He served in the Connecticut Assembly and, by the mid-1770s, opposed British laws aimed at suppressing colonial resistance. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence and supported the Articles of Confederation.

From 1779 to 1781, he served as president of the Confederation Congress, the legislative body that governed the U.S. during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he returned to Connecticut, where he served on the state’s Supreme Court and as lieutenant governor.

In 1786, Huntington was elected governor of Connecticut, a role he held until his death in 1796. His administration focused on educational reform and opposing the slave trade.

Huntington died in office on January 5, 1796, at age 64, after almost a decade serving as governor. Though he and his wife, Martha, had no children, his legacy endures as one of service, integrity, and dedication to the founding of the nation.