William S. Holabird (c. 1794 – May 20, 1855) was an American lawyer,

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and the 37th

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

Early life

William S. Holabird was born circa 1794 reportedly at

Canaan, Connecticut Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town of Canaan is often referred to locally by the name of its principal settlement, Falls V ...

, the son of William D. Holabird and his wife, the former Dorcas Bird. He married Adeline/Adaline Catlin, daughter of Abijah and Orinda (Williams) Catlin.

Career

In 1831 and 1833 he was unsuccessful as a Democratic candidate for Congress and was appointed by

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

in 1834 as U.S. Attorney for the

District of Connecticut The United States District Court for the District of Connecticut (in case citations, D. Conn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Connecticut. The court has offices in Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven. Appeals ...

. As such he presented the government's argument in the Amistad case. Holabird was later elected the

for two consecutive terms, serving from May 4, 1842, to May 1, 1844, while

Chauncey Fitch Cleveland Chauncey Fitch Cleveland (February 16, 1799 – June 6, 1887) was an American politician, a United States representative and the 31st Governor of Connecticut. Biography Born in Canterbury, Connecticut, Cleveland attended the common schools an ...

was

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Cleveland was succeeded as governor in 1844 by Roger S. Baldwin from the Whig party. Baldwin was known for his defence in the Amistad Case, where Holabird had been the government's attorney. William S. Holabird died at Winchester,

Litchfield County Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

, Connecticut, on May 20, 1855.

In popular culture

A simplified version of the events regarding the Amistad case was made into a movie called '' Amistad'' in 1997 in which

Pete Postlethwaite Peter William Postlethwaite, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After minor television appearances, including in '' The Professionals'', his first major success arose through the British autobiographical fil ...

portrayed William S. Holabird.

Sources

Brief Descriptions of Connecticut State Agencies, Lieutenant Governor

References

Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut United States Attorneys for the District of Connecticut Connecticut Democrats Year of birth uncertain 1855 deaths People from Canaan, Connecticut La Amistad 1794 births {{Connecticut-politician-stub

Early life

Career

In popular culture

See also

Sources

References