Oliver Wolcott Jr.


Gender:
Male
Born:
January 11, 1760
Died:
June 1, 1833
Home Town:
Litchfield, CT
Later Residences:
Hartford, CT
Middletown, CT
Marriage(s):
Elizabeth Stoughton Wolcott (June 1, 1785)
Biographical Notes:
Oliver Wolcott, Jr. was the son of Oliver and Lorana (Collins) Wolcott. His father was Governor of Connecticut and one of the signers of both the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence.

Oliver Wolcott, Jr. graduated from Yale in 1778 and entered the Litchfield Law School, studying under Tapping Reeve. In 1781, he was admitted to the Bar and received a Master's degree from Yale.

In the summer of 1779, Wolcott joined the quartermaster's department of the Continental Army, likely assisted by his father who was in charge of army stores and ordinance in Litchfield. His new was his first experience with what would later become his career: organizing the financial affairs of his department as well as the provision and transportation of goods for the Army.

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Quotes:
"The [judiciary must] be independent of the power or influence of the Legislative and Executive Departments in the expressions of judicial opinions." -- to William Tilghman, June 25, 1802

"The Southern Patriots-American Perserves will secure them independence." September 2 1816

Education
Years at LLS:
1778
Other Education:
Graduated from Yale College in 1778 and received an honorary LLD from Yale in 1819. He also received an honorary LLD from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1799.

Profession / Service
Profession:
Political Office; Manufacturer; Business
Admitted To Bar:
1781
Federal Posts:
Commissioner 1784
Comptroller of Public Accounts 1788-1789
Auditor for the U.S. Treasury Department 1789-1791
Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury Department 1791-1795
Secretary of the Treasury 1795-1800
Judge for the NY, CT, and VT circuits (NY,CT,VT) 1801-1802
Federal Committees:
Held a clerkship in the Committee of Pay-Table in 1781. Served as a Member of the Committee of Pay-Table in 1782.
State Posts:
Governor (CT) 1817-1828
State Committees:
President of the Connecticut Constitutional Convention in 1818.

Related Objects and Documents
In the Ledger:
Other:
help The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation.

Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
[We are currently working to update and confirm citations of attendance.]
Secondary Sources:
Buel Jr., Richard. The A to Z of the Early American Republic. Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2006. Accessed via Google Books.

Carley, Rachel. Litchfield: The Making of a New England Town. Connecticut: GHP, 2011.

Connecticut State Archives. "Records of the Office of Governor, 1820 - 1858." http://www.cslib.org/archives/Finding_Aids/Antebellum.pdf. Accessed 5/10/2014.

Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of College History, Vol. 4. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1907.

Department of the Treasury. "Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (1795 - 1800)." http://www.treasury.gov/about/history/pages/owolcottjr.aspx. Last updated 11/11/2010. Accessed 5/10/2014.

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