born April 19, 1721, Newton, Mass.
died July 23, 1793, New Haven, Conn., U.S.
American jurist and politician.
Active in trade and law in Connecticut, he served as judge of the superior court (1766–85) and mayor of New Haven (1784–93). A delegate to the Continental Congress, he signed the Declaration of Independence and helped draft the Articles of Confederation . At the Constitutional Convention , he proposed a compromise on congressional representation that combined facets of the two opposing plans by the large and small states. The result, called the Connecticut (or Great) Compromise, which was incorporated into the Constitution, provided for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in one house (House of Representatives) and on the principle of equality in the other (Senate).