Samuel Augustus Foot (November 8, 1780 – September 15, 1846; his surname is also spelled Foote) was the
28th Governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...
as well as 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
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.
Biography
Born November 8, 1780 in
Cheshire, Connecticut
Cheshire ( ), formerly known as New Cheshire Parish, is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Cheshire was 28,733. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshir ...
, to John & Abigail (Hall) Foot. Having entered
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, ...
at the age of thirteen, was the youngest student in the graduating class of 1797. He attended the
Litchfield Law School
The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Wh ...
when he was seventeen, but discontinued law studies due to ill health. He then moved to
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
; became a West India Trader and made many voyages for his health. He married Eudocia Hull in 1803 and they had seven children (the second of whom was
Andrew Hull Foote
Andrew Hull Foote (September 12, 1806 – June 26, 1863) was an American naval officer who was noted for his service in the American Civil War and also for his contributions to several naval reforms in the years prior to the war. When the war cam ...
).
Career
When the War of 1812 Embargo Act ruined his business, Foot returned to his father's farm in
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county tow ...
in 1813, engaged in agricultural pursuits and politics.
Foot 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 1817 and 1818, and was elected to the Sixteenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1819 to March 3, 1821. He was again a member of the State house of representatives from 1821 to 1823 and 1825 to 1826, serving as speaker in 1825 to 1826; he was elected to the Eighteenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1823 to March 3, 1825. He was elected by the General Assembly to the U.S. Senate as an
Adams' man (later
Anti-Jacksonian
The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...
) within the splintering
Democratic Republican Party. He served in the Senate from March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1833. In the Senate he is most noted for the "Foot Resolution" of December 29, 1829 to limit the sale of public lands. It was during debate on this resolution that
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...
gave his "Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and forever" speech.
Foot was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1832; while in the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
, he was chairman of the Committee on Pensions (Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses). He was elected to the Twenty-third Congress, and served from March 4, 1833, to May 9, 1834, when he resigned to become
Governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connec ...
, a position he held in 1834 and 1835. He was an unsuccessful
Whig candidate for re-election in 1835. Foot later served as a presidential elector on the Clay-Frelinghuysen ticket in 1844.
Death
Foot died in Cheshire on September 15, 1846. He is interred at
Hillside Cemetery,
Cheshire, Connecticut
Cheshire ( ), formerly known as New Cheshire Parish, is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Cheshire was 28,733. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshir ...
.
References
External links
Litchfield Historical SocietyGovtrack US Congress*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foot, Samuel
1780 births
1846 deaths
People from Cheshire, Connecticut
Foote family
Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
National Republican Party United States senators from Connecticut
National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
Connecticut Whigs
Governors of Connecticut
Whig Party state governors of the United States
Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
Yale College alumni
Litchfield Law School alumni