General Henry Champion (March 16, 1751 – July 13, 1836) was born to Colonel Henry Champion and Deborah Brainard. He was a descendant of the Henry Champion who settled in

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 ...

in 1647. He sailed to the colony from

Norwich, England Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

Biography

Henry Champion III was born in

Westchester, Connecticut Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wildlife ...

. He was the eldest of 7 children born to Col. Champion. His brother General Epaphroditus Champion was born in 1756 and also became a staunch Federalist. On October 10, 1781, Henry married Abigail Tinker, daughter of Sylvanus and Abigail (Olmstead) Tinker. Their family included four sons and four daughters, all born in Westchester: * Henry (1782–1823); who married Ruth Kimberly Robbins (1782-) * Aristarcus, twin (1784–1871); he died in Rochester, NY, unmarried * Aristobulus, twin (1784–1786); died young * Abigail (1787-); married General David Deming * Harriet (1789–1823); married Joseph Trumbull (1782–1861), governor of Connecticut * Maria (1791-); married Robert Watkinson * Elisa, twin (1797-); married Elizur Goodrich * William, twin (1797–1798); died young

Military service

Henry Champion entered into service in the Continental Army at the Lexington Alarm. He served as Ensign for 22 days before being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant of the Eighth Company, Second Regiment on April 26, 1775. In May, he became a 1st Lieutenant of the same. He was one of the men who fought at Bunker Hill. January 1776 be was again promoted to Adjutant on the staff of Col. Samuel Wyllys. One year later, on January 1, 1777, he was commissioned a captain in the

3rd Connecticut Regiment The 3rd Connecticut Regiment was authorized on 16 September 1776 and was organized between 1 January - April 1777 of eight companies of volunteers from the counties of Windham and Hartford in the state of Connecticut. On 3 April 1777 it was as ...

. July 15, 1779, Captain Champion was detached from his old regiment and appointed Acting Major of the First Battalion Light Brigade. The Light Brigade had been organized by General

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

to attempt the capture of Stony Point on the Hudson. The corps was composed of men picked from all regiments and under direct command of General Washington. The 3rd Connecticut Regiment was consolidated with the

4th Connecticut Regiment The 4th Connecticut Regiment was raised on April 27, 1775, at Hartford, Connecticut. The regiment saw action in the Invasion of Canada. After which the regiment was disbanded on December 20, 1775, and reformed on September 16, 1776, to fight i ...

into the

1st Connecticut Regiment The 1st Connecticut Regiment was a unit of the Continental Army, and was involved in the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was initially formed in 1776, and was active in various forms until 1783. 1776–1780 The 1st Connecticut Regiment ...

on January 1, 1781. Champion resigned his commission in the 1st Connecticut Regiment on May 1, 1781 when he was appointed commissary general of the Eastern Department. He served until the close of the Revolutionary War, and is today represented in The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

in the state of Connecticut, established in 1783.

After the War Years

After returning home to Westchester, Gen. Champion entered the life of politics. He was Deputy from Colchester to the Connecticut Assembly in 1789, 1793 to 1798 and 1800-1805. From 1806 to 1817 he held the office of Assistant. From 1813-1828 he was a deacon in a church in Westchester. General Champion always celebrated July 15 which he called Stony Point Day, in due and ancient form at his famous old country seat in Westchester. He obtained a charter for the Phoenix Bank of Hartford, because the State Bank had refused him the accommodation of $2,000. "Well," said he, "if this bank can't accommodate me, I will have one that can." He was largely interested in the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (e.-1795) was a post-colonial land speculation company formed in the late eighteenth century to survey and encourage settlement in the eastern parts of the newly chartered Connecticut Western Re ...

to which he subscribed over $85,000. The towns of Champion, NY and Champion, OH are named in his honor. After his death, in 1836, the Champion Homestead was sold to the Loomis Family and Henry's male line had died out in 1865.

Henry Champion House

The Henry Champion House was built for the general by Colonel Henry Champion, his father, in 1790. The house was built in the Colonial Federal style. Today the Champion house still stands and is located on Westchester Rd in Colchester, CT. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house in now privately owned and not open to the public.

References

External links

The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion 1751 births 1836 deaths Continental Army officers from Connecticut Connecticut Land Company Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818)