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Gideon Granger was a descendant of Launcelot Granger who was a taxpayer at Ipswich, Massachusets, in 1648, was born in Suffield, Connecticut. He was the second child of Gideon and Tryphosa (Kent) Granger, the former a graduate of Yale (1760) and a well-to-do lawyer and local politician.
The younger Gideon was prepared for college by his pastor and graduated at Yale in 1787. He was admitted to the bar in 1789, began practice in Suffield.
In 1792, Granger was elected to the legislature and, with the exception of two sessions, represented Suffield in that body for the next nine years.
By 1798, he was definitely aligned with the Republicans and was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. Two years later, he gave vigorous support to Jefferson in the presidential contest.
As a leader of the Republican minority in such a Federalist stronghold as Connecticut he had little chance of advancement in elective offices; accordingly, in November 1801, he accepted President Jefferson’s offer of the postmaster-generalship.
He was on cordial terms with the President, whose letters indicate that Granger was entrusted with important party responsibilities in Connecticut, including distribution of the patronage.
As postmaster-general, Granger proved a successful administrator at a time when, owing to the western movement, the acquisition of Louisiana, and the rapid growth of population, the problems of the service were becoming increasingly difficult.
He held office until March 17, 1814, when his resignation was forced by President Madison because of a disagreement in regard to the appointment of a Philadelphia postmaster, and also, probably, because of some suspicion regarding his loyalty to the President in the election of 1812.
After resigning office, he resumed the practice of law and moved to Whitestown, New York, where he engaged in professional business connected with the Phelps and Gorham land purchase.
In 1816, he decided to settle at Canandaigua and, the following year, established his permanent residence there.
He served in the New York Senate in 1820-21, in order to give further support to the construction of the canal. He might well have had a further career in New York politics but in 1822, his health began to fail and he died at Canandaigua after suffering intensely for several months.
He took a prominent part in the adoption of the Common School Law of 1795, enactment of considerable significance in educational history, the authorship of which is generally attributed to him. He was also a pioneer in the practice of separating political opponents from the post-office payroll, although during his service the spoils system was still somewhat rudimentary. He was the author of several political pamphlets which were widely circulated in New England for campaign purposes and are still frequently encountered in old libraries.
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Granger early showed signs of mild liberalism which made him the object of suspicion to the “high-toned Federalists” of the state, and his contributions published under the pseudonym of Algernon Sidney in the American Mercury of Hartford are among the first evidence of opposition to the rule of the famous “Standing Order. ”
Granger's writings, although occasionally somewhat heavy in style, indicate a keen, constructive intellect and a wide range of political and economic information.
On June 14, 1790, Gideon married Mindwell Pease of that town. One of his three children was Francis Granger.
