Huntington was born in Coventry, Connecticut in 1765. His father was Joseph Huntington, a distinguished minister of liberal views; his mother was Hannah, daughter of the Rev. Ebenezer Devotion. As a boy he was adopted by his uncle, Samuel Huntington, signer of the Declaration of Independence and governor of Connecticut.
Education
After attending Dartmouth until the end of his junior year, he entered Yale, graduating at twenty (1785).
Career
He was sent abroad by his uncle for the "grand tour. " On his return to Connecticut he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1793.
Huntington had political aspirations but he found the times "out of joint" in Connecticut, for he was not in sympathy with the Federalist hierarchy. In 1800 he made a trip on horseback to Ohio. Determined on settling there, he gained admission to the bar and returned to bring his family west in a covered wagon. His first few years in Ohio were spent in the village of Cleveland, but believing the location unhealthful, he moved to Painesville, where he lived until his death. He immediately identified himself with the politics of the Northwest Territory and was favored by Governor St. Clair with minor appointments.
Foreseeing that Ohio would shortly become a state, he chose to support the cause of statehood in opposition to St. Clair. He first came into prominence in the constitutional convention of 1802, where he acted in harmony with the "Chillicothe Junto" which controlled that body. He was elected to the Senate of the first General Assembly and was chosen speaker, but in April 1803 he was appointed to the state supreme court. The local Jeffersonian party, which had achieved statehood for Ohio, was divided prior to the War of 1812 into liberal and conservative factions. The Virginians, Worthington and Tiffin, were liberal leaders; Huntington, George Tod, and Return J. Meigs, Jr. , all of Connecticut, led the conservatives. A victory was won for the conservatives when the supreme court asserted its right to nullify an act of the legislature on the ground of unconstitutionality. Huntington and his associate judge, George Tod, were responsible for this pronouncement. Tod narrowly escaped removal by impeachment proceedings. Huntington was not impeached, for in 1808 he was elected governor over Thomas Worthington by the concerted action of conservative Republicans and Federalists. Inasmuch as the constitution of 1802 had created a powerless executive, Huntington's administration was quite uneventful. He was not a candidate to succeed himself in 1810, for he hoped to be elected to the United States Senate, but Thomas Worthington defeated him by a narrow margin. He was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1811-12. During the War of 1812 he held the responsible and burdensome office of district paymaster in the regular army. As a judge, Huntington showed more than ordinary ability.
Achievements
Politics
In politics he was unfortunate in that he occupied ground midway between the Virginia Jeffersonians and the Federalist minority, and so pleased neither group.
Membership
Huntington was an active Freemason, and served as the Second Grand Master of the Grand Lodge F. &A. M. of Ohio in 1809.
Connections
He had married, on December 20, 1791, Hannah Huntington, a distant cousin.