Richard Dudley Hubbard (September 7, 1818 – February 28, 1884) was a

United States 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 ...

and the 48th

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...

Biography

Born in

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, ...

, he was orphaned while young, he pursued preparatory studies at

East Hartford East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

and graduated from Yale College in 1839, where he was a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death, is an undergraduate senior secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior class society at the university, Skull and Bone ...

. "This list is compiled from material from the Order of Skull and Bones membership books at

Sterling Library Sterling Memorial Library (SML) is the main library building of the Yale University Library system in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Opened in 1931, the library was designed by James Gamble Rogers as the centerpiece of Yale's Gothic Re ...

, Yale University and other public records. The latest books available are the 1971 ''Living members'' and the 1973 ''Deceased Members'' books. The last year the members were published in the ''

Yale Banner 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, ...

'' is 1969." He studied law, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1842 and commenced practice in

Hartford 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 t ...

. He married Mary Juliana Morgan and they had six children.

Career

Hubbard was a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

in 1842, 1855, and again in 1858, and was

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

for

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains the ...

from 1846 to 1868. A lifelong Democrat, he nevertheless supported the Federal government throughout the Civil War. Hubbard was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fortieth Congress, holding office from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1869. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1868 and resumed the practice of law in Hartford. He was the nominee for governor in the 1872 election, but lost to

Marshall Jewell Marshall Jewell (October 20, 1825February 10, 1883) was a manufacturer, pioneer telegrapher, telephone entrepreneur, world traveler, and political figure who served as 44th and 46th Governor of Connecticut, the US Minister to Russia, the 25th ...

. He was a delegate to Democratic National Convention 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 capita ...

, 1876 and a member of the Resolutions Committee. In November 1876 Hubbard was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

Governor of Connecticut, the first to be elected to a two-year term. He successfully advocated for legislation that altered the property rights of women, "making husband and wife equal in property rights."Norton, 295 Also, a bill was constituted that formed the State Board of Health; a commission was formed that managed Connecticut's dams and reservoirs, and regulations were amended that benefited the insurance industry. In January 1878, Hubbard served on the committee that established the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of aca ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection as governor in 1878. He engaged in the practice of law from 1877 until his death in Hartford.

Death and legacy

Hubbard died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

on February 28, 1884. He is interred at Cedar Hill Cemetery. A statue of Hubbard is on the east lawn of the Connecticut State Capitol building in Hartford Connecticut with a plaque that describes him as "Lawyer, Orator, Statesman."Connecticut General Assembly
"Richard D. Hubbard (1818–1884)"
accessed September 18, 2010

References

External links

* Dwight Loomis and J. Gilbert Calhoun, ''The Judicial and Civil History of Connecticut'' (Boston: Boston History Company, 1895) * Frederick Calvin Norton, ''The Governors of Connecticut'' (New Haven, CT: Connecticut Magazine Company, 1905)
available online
* Robert Sobel and John Raimo, ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988,
The Political GraveyardGovtrack US Congress
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbard, Richard 1818 births 1884 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Hartford, Connecticut) Connecticut lawyers Deaths from nephritis Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Founding members of the American Bar Association Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Berlin, Connecticut Yale College alumni 19th-century American lawyers