Autographs
"Jon. Trumbull" Signature mated with an 1863 Engraving Displaying His Perfectly Matching Signature in Facsimile
JONATHAN TRUMBULL, JR. (1740-1809). General George Washington's Personal Secretary (1781-1783), American Revolutionary War Officer as Major, First Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury (1778-1779), later Comptroller of New York military payments to 1781 for the Continental Army at New York, 20th Governor of Connecticut from 1797 until his death in 1809.
Clipped Signature, "Jon. Trumbull", 3" x 1", mounted to a 5.75" x 8.5" sheet, no date or place, Choice Very Fine. Sold together with an 8" x 10.75" handsome Engraved Seated Portrait of Governor Trumbull, by Johnson & Fry after the original Painting by Chappel, having a perfectly matching large Signature in facsimile below. (2 items)
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (March 26, 1740 " August 7, 1809) was an American politician who served as the 20th governor of Connecticut, the second speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the 24th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.
He is often confused with his younger brother, John Trumbull, a famous artist during the revolutionary war and early years of the United States.
Trumbull served in the Continental Army as paymaster general of the Northern Department from July 28, 1775 to July 29, 1778. In February 1781, he was given the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was included in the general orders of June 8, 1781: "Jonathan Trumbull. Esqr., Junior, is appointed Secretary to the Commander in Chief and to be respected accordingly." He served for the duration of the war as aide-de-camp to General George Washington until December 28, 1783. After the war, he became an original member of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati.
Elected to the First, Second, and Third Congresses, Trumbull served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1789 to March 3, 1795. He was the Speaker of the House in the Second Congress, both preceded and succeeded by Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg. He did not seek re-election for a fourth term and instead ran for the United States Senate.
When Trumbull was elected to the United States Senate, he served from March 4, 1795 to June 10, 1796. On June 10, 1796, he resigned from the United States Senate to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. When the Governor died in December 1797, he became Governor and was re-elected to Eleven Consecutive Terms until his death in Lebanon, Connecticut.