Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-10-27
GOVERNOR TRUMBULL
ConnecdCut's First War Governor and
 His Great Work.

most critical period. His other bril- liant qualities fade away before that magnificent patriotism which made Connecticut worship her noble son.
 He was born in the town of Leba- non on October 12, 1710, and was the son of Joseph Trumbull, a we'll to-do merchant and farmer who had moved to the little town ten years previous. At thirteen years of age Trumbull entered Harvard college and was graduated in the class Of 1727. Early in life his family and friends discovered the young mans fine talents, and a professional life was planned for him. He studied theology, which was thoroughly agreeable to his tastes, and in few years was licensed to preach. His career in the ministry was brief, but it is pointed out by good author ities that if he had continued in the profession Jonathan Trumbull would have become, without doubt, con- spicuous figure in the church.
 His plans in life were changed abruptly in 1731 when an older lclI HID ldlAS1 osoAS AAA Lebanon and Trumbull resigned from the ministry to carry on the business. While attending to his duties in the store Trumbull studied law, and two years later, in 1733, was elected a member of the general assembly, which marked the opening of his long public career. In this body he became such leading spirit that in 1739 he was elected speaker and 7 occupied the office with such sue cess that during the following year he was chosen as assistant. Trum- . bull was reelected to this position twenty-two times, and was looked upon as one of the soundest men in the colony. He afterwards became judge of the county court, and chief judge of the latter body from 1766 to 1769. In the year of 1167 Trum- bull was elected deputy-governor and held the office for a year, when he succeeded William Pitkin as gover- nor, upon the latter's death in 1769.
 His utter abhorrence of the stamp act was abundantly demonstrated in 1765 when he absolutely refused to take the oath required of every off, cial to support the obnoxious act. Bancroft remarks concerning this period that Trumbull was the model of the virtues of rural magistrate; profoundly religious, grave in man. ner, discriminating in judgment, fix ed in his principles" Professor Johnston says that for several years Trumbull had been at the head of ha n finn known as the "Sons of Liberty, which patrolled the country, "over- awed those who were inclined to sup port the. British government, and making ready to resist the execution of the law" When Jared Ingersoll rode to Hartford from New Haven to put the stamp act into operation he found fully a thousand of these "Sons of Liberty" ready to resist to the last degree.
 When Trumbull became governor of the people of Connecticut were convinced that in him the colony had found the man the people needed at that time. Before Trumbull doubt and hesitation fed in the twinkling of an eye. He threw his whole soul into the impending struggle. and while the war clouds were not as black in Connecticut as in the neigh boring colony of Massachusetts where Trumbull's classmate, Hutch inson, was governor, yet the chisis called for a man in whom craven frailty was an unknown quantity.
 Trumbull, with many other wor- thy men, was committed to the idea that extreme measures in dealing with existing difficulties were un- necessary, that it was neither wise nor expedient to separate from Great Britain, and he personally thought the troubles between the colonies and the mother country ought to be settled "by gentle and insensible methods rather than by power and force"
 His private opinions were quickly set aside, however, when the declara- tion of war came; and from that time Trumbull was laboring day and night for the cause for which the colonies were making such a sacri- fee.
 A correspondence soon ensued be- tween Governor Trum5ull and Cen eral George Washington. IL gradu- ally assumed a close personal cast. which was continued throughout and after the revolution.
 In August. 17T6. when Washing l ton wrote Governor Trumbull con- corning the weakness of the COnti- mental army, the latter immediately called together the council of safety and supplemented the five ConneCti- cut regiments already in the field by nine more. which proved to be of incalculable benefit to the cause.
 The governors pertinent iniunc- tions to those who had not left the fields for the war have come down 10 us ringing with his magnificent pa- Sriotism. He said: Join vOur- selves to one of the companies and choose captains forthwith March on: this shall be your warrant: May the God of the armies of Israel se your leader" IL Is no wonder such words as these inspired many a ] Connecticut farmer to leave the haT- i. vest fields unfinished. and begin the !. weary tramp 10 New York where 1. they arrived in the nick of time. . Washington wrote to TrumbuIl that l he had full confidence in his most ! ready assistance on every occasion. . and that such measures as appear 10 . you most likely to advance the public good. in this and every instance. will . be most eheerfulIy adopted"
 TrumbuII-s advice to the great .
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