George G. Sill
Encyclopedia
George Griswold Sill was an American politician who was the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1873 to 1877.
. After preparatory studies at Ellington Academy, he attended Yale University
from 1848 to 1852 and was a member of Skull and Bones
. He studied law and was admitted to the Hartford County Bar in 1856.
When the American Civil War
broke out, he organized the first company of Connecticut Volunteers in his office and went to the front.
Sill was also the head of several large firms and corporations, serving as President of the Hartford Governor Company and Director of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company.
. In 1873, he was nominated by the Democrats for the election for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut and won a large plurality. He served in four consecutive one-year terms, while Charles R. Ingersoll
was the Governor, from May 7, 1873 to January 3, 1877. These were the last one-year terms, changes in the Connecticut State Constitution made the terms for governor and lieutenant governor two years long from 1877 on, putting the election in November the year before and having the term start in January.
for Connecticut from 1888 to 1892.
He died at his home on the night of May 19, 1907, following an attack of locomotor ataxia.
Early life
Sill was born at Windsor, ConnecticutWindsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
. After preparatory studies at Ellington Academy, he attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
from 1848 to 1852 and was a member of Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. He studied law and was admitted to the Hartford County Bar in 1856.
When the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out, he organized the first company of Connecticut Volunteers in his office and went to the front.
Sill was also the head of several large firms and corporations, serving as President of the Hartford Governor Company and Director of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company.
Political career
After voting Republican from the first vote he could cast, Sill changed parties to the Democrats in 1872, under the leadership of Horace GreeleyHorace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
. In 1873, he was nominated by the Democrats for the election for Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut and won a large plurality. He served in four consecutive one-year terms, while Charles R. Ingersoll
Charles Roberts Ingersoll
Charles Roberts Ingersoll was the 47th Governor of Connecticut from 1873 to 1877.He was born in New Haven, Connecticut, son of Ralph Isaacs Ingersoll, a New Haven lawyer who also served in the state House of Representatives, the United States Congress, and as United States Minister to Russia and...
was the Governor, from May 7, 1873 to January 3, 1877. These were the last one-year terms, changes in the Connecticut State Constitution made the terms for governor and lieutenant governor two years long from 1877 on, putting the election in November the year before and having the term start in January.
Later years
Sill was a U.S. AttorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for Connecticut from 1888 to 1892.
He died at his home on the night of May 19, 1907, following an attack of locomotor ataxia.