Abraham Davenport (1715–1789) was a Connecticut councillor and judge from Stamford. He was celebrated in a poem by

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

for his stoical reaction to New England's Dark Day (1780).

Personal life

The grandson of New Haven Colony founder John Davenport, Abraham Davenport was born in the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

town of Stamford in 1715 to John and Elizabeth (). Davenport's home in Stamford was on Main Street, near the corner of Summer Street. Davenport graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

with his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1732. He married Elizabeth Huntington on 16 November 1750 in

Windham, Connecticut Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consoli ...

, and she died on 17 December 1773; Davenport remarried to Martha Fitch on 8 August 1776 in Stamford. In the aftermath of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, Davenport took ill and wounded US soldiers into home to care for their recovery. Abraham Davenport died in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

on 20 November 1789 at age 74; he was buried in

Northfield, Connecticut Northfield is an unincorporated village in the town of Litchfield, Litchfield County, Connecticut. The village of Northfield resides in the southeastern corner of Litchfield. Northfield shares an indefinite northern boundary with the rest of Li ...

, bequeathing that land and to the church.

Public service

In 1737, Davenport was the Stamford town

tithing A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or s ...

man, and in 1738, he was the town

surveyor Surveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, art, and science of determining the terrestrial two-dimensional or three-dimensional positions of points and the distances and angles between them. A land surveying professional is ca ...

. He also served on the Stamford board of selectmen (1746–1777) for 31 years, and in the

Connecticut State Militia The Connecticut State Militia are the Armed Forces of the State of Connecticut under the authority of the Governor and the Adjutant General of the state. Classes of Militia The Connecticut State Militia is divided into two classes: the National ...

as a colonel.

Legislator

Davenport was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1759–1766, and the Connecticut Council from 1766–1784. On New England's Dark Day (19 May 1780), that body was deliberating on an amendment regulating

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

Alosinae The Alosinae, or the shads,Alosinae

and alewife when the House adjourned due to darkness. Upon the suggestion that the Council should do the same, Davenport is reported to have said, "I am against adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought." Candles were brought, deliberation continued, and the amendment was passed in the Council. In his 1866 poem "Abraham Davenport" (''Tent on the Beach''), the

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

poet

lauded the legislator: "And there he stands in memory to this day, Erect, self-poised, a rugged face, half seen Against the background of unnatural dark, A witness to the ages as they pass, That simple duty hath no place for fear." In November 1934, Delos Palmer—working under a Works Progress Administration commission—painted a Dark-Day mural of Davenport and Connecticut Governor

Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (October 12, 1710August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served as Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Trumbull and Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island were the only men to serve as gov ...

in the Stamford city courtroom. At its dedication, Judge Charles Davenport Lockwood said the art "should be an inspiration and a lesson during these days of hard times ." During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy made several references to Davenport and his stance on the Dark Day.

Judiciary

Despite his lack of formal legal training, Davenport was appointed

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Fairfield County Court, the Maritime Court of Fairfield County, and Stamford's probate court (from 1768–1790). In his waning years, Davenport served as the chief justice of the Connecticut Court of Common Pleas. The judge was in

hearing a case when he suffered a myocardial infarction. He allegedly worked through the pain until the case was sent to the jury, then retired to his chamber and died.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Abraham 1715 births 1789 deaths 18th-century American judges 18th-century American politicians American surveyors Connecticut state court judges members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) members of the Connecticut House of Representatives politicians from Stamford, Connecticut Yale College alumni