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Higher Office(s) Served: Representative

RICHARD DUDLEY HUBBARD, Connecticut's 31st governor was born in Berlin, Connecticut, on September 7, 1818. He was left an orphan early in life, and supported himself while attending Yale University. After graduating in 1839, Hubbard studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He entered politics as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, an office he held from 1842 to 1855, and held again in 1858. He also served as state's attorney of Hartford County from 1846 to 1868, and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869. Hubbard was elected Governor of Connecticut on November 7, 1876, and was sworn into office on January 3, 1877. During his tenure, a bill was enacted that made a wife equal in property rights to her husband's. A bill was constituted that formed the State Board of Health, a commission was fashioned that managed Connecticut's dams and reservoirs, and regulations were amended that benefited the insurance industry. Hubbard did not win reelection, and left office, retiring from public service. He continued to practice law in Hartford, earning the reputation of a gifted and eloquent orator. Governor Richard D. Hubbard died on February 28, 1884, and is buried at the Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

New England Genealogy

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress