succeeded death_date death_place birth_place jr/sr party profession preceded term birth_date spouse article_title state name alma_mater
lafayette s. foster september 30 , 1879 -lrb- aged 71 -rrb- hartford , connecticut , us old windsor , connecticut , us united states senator free soil , republican politician , lecturer truman smith may , 1855 24 , 1854 & ndash ; march 4 december 14 , 1807 elisabeth daggett hooker gillette francis gillette
 connecticut francis gillette yale college
francis gillette

francis gillette -lrb- december 14 , 1807 -- september 30 , 1879 -rrb- was a politician from connecticut , usa .
he was the father of actor and playwright william gillette and politician and editor edward h. gillette .
born in old windsor , connecticut -lrb- today part of the town of bloomfield -rrb- , gillette moved with his parents to ashfield , massachusetts as a child .
he graduated from yale college in 1829 and commenced the study of law , but his health becoming impaired he instead engaged in agricultural pursuits in bloomfield .
he was a member of the connecticut house of representatives in 1832 , 1836 and 1838 and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of connecticut in 1841 , losing to chauncey f. cleveland , and several times subsequently .
gillette served as chairman of the connecticut board of education from 1849 to 1865 and moved to hartford , connecticut in 1852 .
he was elected a free soiler to the united states senate in 1854 to fill a vacancy and served until the end of the term in 1855 , not being a candidate for reelection .
afterwards , gillette became a lecturer on agriculture and temperance and was a trustee of the connecticut state normal school , also serving as its president for many years .
he aided in the formation of the republican party in connecticut and for several years was a silent partner in the `` evening press '' , the organ of the party .
he engaged in the real estate business in hartford , connecticut until his death there on september 30 , 1879 .
he was interred in riverside cemetery in farmington , connecticut .
the francis gillette house in bloomfield , connecticut , his home in early years of his antislavery involvement , is listed on the u.s. national register of historic places .
