Background
Roger Griswold was the son of Matthew and Ursula (Wolcott) Griswold and was born at Lyme, Connecticut, United States on May 21, 1762.
Roger Griswold was the son of Matthew and Ursula (Wolcott) Griswold and was born at Lyme, Connecticut, United States on May 21, 1762.
Roger Griswold graduated from Yale in 1780, studied law in his father’s office.
Roger Griswold was admitted to the bar in 1783, and established himself in practice at Norwich. He remained there until 1798, when he returned to Lyme.
In 1794 he entered the Connecticut legislature but in September 1794 he was elected to the national House of Representatives and his services in the state government were ended until 1807.
In February 1798 he acquired great notoriety by a brawl on the floor of the House with Matthew Lyon of Vermont.
This affray, the first serious one of the sort to occur in Congress, and discreditable to both participants, called forth a series of cartoons and satirical pamphlets, still found in old libraries and collections of Americana.
The tenor of Griswold’s congressional speeches shows that he followed the common Federalist course, passing from an enthusiastic nationalism toward sectionalism and an indiscriminate opposition to the majority policies.
Of his many able speeches in the House, one of his best was that in opposition to the resolution amending the Constitution with respect to the method of electing the president, afterward embodied in that document as the Twelfth Amendment.
In 1804 the bitterness of the Federalist leaders resulted in discussion of the project of a northern confederacy, which came to nothing because the mass of New Englanders were either indifferent to alleged grievances or rapidly becoming supporters of Jefferson.
On leaving Congress in 1805 Griswold resumed his law practice and two years later was appointed to the superior court.
In 1809 he left the bench to become lieutenant-governor, and a year later he was supported for the governorship by a faction of the party strong enough to force the election into the legislature, which, however, continued him in second place.
In 1811 and again in 1812 he was elected governor by a popular majority. Connecticut was bitterly opposed to the war with Great Britain and Griswold’s conduct, later the theme of widespread censure, received both official and popular approval.
He refused to place Connecticut militia under the command of federal officers, and this resulted in a constitutional argument, lasting after the Governor’s death, October 25, 1812, in regard to the president’s military powers and on the meaning of the militia clauses of the Constitution.
Roger Griswold was active in the Federalist party in Congress from 1795 to 1805, first as a defender of the policies of Washington and Adams and later as a virulent critic of those of Jefferson. In both capacities he was a leader in debate and a frequent speaker.
Quotations:
“The vices of this government are incurable. ”
“There can be no safety to the Northern States without a separation from the Confederacy. ”
Roger Griswold was keen, analytical, and eloquent, but also, at times, dogmatic and intolerant.
Quotes from others about the person
Theodore Dwight: “A strange, offensive brute Too wild to tame, too base to shoot. ”
On October 27, 1788, Roger Griswold married Fanny Rogers, daughter of Zabdiel and Elizabeth (Tracy) Rogers.
