Epaphroditus Champion (April 6, 1756 – December 22, 1834) was an American politician and military officer from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. He served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from Connecticut.

Early life

Champion was born in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

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 ...

, son of Colonel Henry Champion and Deborah (Brainard) Champion. He was educated both by private tutors and in the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

s. Champion's brother Henry Champion was a major in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and served in the Connecticut state house of representatives.

Career

During the American Revolutionary War, 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 ...

directed Champion's father, Connecticut state commissary Colonel Henry Champion, to collect cattle and drive them to

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

. Champion helped his father gather a herd of 300 cattle at

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

and drive them west to King's Ferry, across the Hudson, into New Jersey, across the Delaware to Washington's famished troops west of the Schuylkill. They were devoured in five days prompting Champion to remark that the cattle were so thoroughly eaten that "you might have made a knife out of every bone." Champion was named assistant commissary to Trumbull in 1776, and was the first Commissary General of the Continental Army. Champion moved to

East Haddam, Connecticut East Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,875 at the time of the 2020 census. History Until 1650, the area of East Haddam was inhabited by at least three Indigenous peoples: the Wangunk, the Mohegan and the Ni ...

in 1782. He served as a captain in the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the Connecticut State militia from 1784 to 1792, as major from 1793 to 1794, as lieutenant colonel from 1795 to 1798, and as brigadier general of the Seventh Brigade from 1800 to 1803. He worked as a merchant, shipowner, exporter and importer. He was successful in conducting trade in the West Indies. Champion was a member of the Connecticut state assembly from 1791 to 1806. He was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

candidate to the

Tenth United States Congress The 10th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1807, to March 4, 1809, during t ...

and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1807 to March 3, 1817. After serving in Congress, he resumed his former business activities. Champion served as commissary general of provisions for army pensioners in 1832.

Personal life

In 1781, Champion married Lucretia Hubbard (1760–1836). Together, they had three children: * Lucretia Champion (1783–1882) * Clarissa Champion (1785–1801) * Epaphroditus Champion, Jr. (1786–1841). Champion died on December 22, 1834, in East Haddam, Connecticut. He is interred in Riverview Cemetery in East Haddam. His epitaph reads, "Talents, benevolence and integrity characterized his spotless life."

Legacy

Champion's home in East Haddam is included in the

East Haddam Historic District The East Haddam Historic District is a historic district in East Haddam, Connecticut representing the historical development of two 18th-century settlements of the town on the east bank of the Connecticut River, Upper Landing and Lower Landing. ...

, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The home is named the General Epaphroditus Champion House and was built in a late-Georgian style.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: CHAMPION, Epaphroditus, (1756 - 1834)
*
Govtrack.us: Epaphroditus Champion

* ttp://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CT/nautical.html The Political Graveyard: Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834)
Biographical Directory of The United States Congress: Guide to Research Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Epaphroditus 1756 births 1834 deaths People from Colchester, Connecticut Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Revolution