Jonathan Law (August 6, 1674 – November 6, 1750) was the 27th

Governor of the Colony of Connecticut The territory of the United States state of Connecticut was first settled by Europeans in the 1620s, when Dutch traders established trading posts on the Connecticut River. English settlers, mainly Puritans fleeing repression in England, began to ...

, serving in that office from 1741 to 1750.

Biography

Law was born in Milford in what was then

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 ...

to Jonathan and Sarah (Clark) Law. He studied law at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

. Known as talented, amiable, and even-tempered, he graduated in 1695. He married five times and had a number of children, seven of whom were sons. On December 20, 1698, he married Anne Eliot; on February 14, 1704, Abigail Arnold; on August 1, 1706, Abigail Andrew; in 1725, widow Sarah Burr; and in 1730, Eunice (Hall) Andrew. Some of his children and grandchildren went on to serve in Congress and other national political offices.

Career

In 1698, Law established a law office in Milford. A Justice of the Peace and of the Quorum for New Haven County in May 1709, he was then named Judge of the County Court of New Haven County and Assistant Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court. Elected Deputy to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1706, Law served several terms until 1717. He was then chosen an assistant and served as such, with the exception of one year, until 1724. In October 1724, he became Deputy Governor and, in May 1725, Chief Judge of the Superior Court, holding these two offices at the same time, which was possible under the government of that era. By the time that Law came to the governorship in October 1741, following the death of Governor Joseph Talcott, Law was 67 years old and had been active in the colonial government for 35 years. He had an extensive farm and was one of the first to plant mulberry trees and introduce raising silk worms to Connecticut. He advocated the industry and advertised by wearing a coat and stockings made of Connecticut silk at a public appearance in 1747.

Death and legacy

Law died while in office on November 6, 1750 in Milford, Connecticut, and is interred at Milford Cemetery.

Jonathan Law High School Jonathan Law High School is a public high school located in Milford, Connecticut, United States. It serves about 1,000 students in grades 9–12 in the Milford Public Schools system. History The school was built in the 1960s to accommodate the in ...

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

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 ...

was named in his honor.

References

External links

Connecticut State Library: Jonathan Law
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Law, Jonathan 1674 births 1750 deaths Harvard College alumni People of colonial Connecticut Colonial governors of Connecticut Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Burials in Connecticut Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives (colonial period)