Solomon in the Wilderness: Colonial Connecticut Judges and Their Qualifications

Abstract

In colonial America, governments relied on county court judges to render justice and maintain order. To be effective, judges needed wisdom to administer three diverse sources of authority: God’s law, English common law, and provincial statutory law. This article uses one colonial tribunal—Connecticut’s New London County Court—to explore an unasked question: what qualified these men to serve wisely as judges? Examining colonial Connecticut judges’ lives and careers unveils a bundle of shared characteristics that prepared them well to manage neighbors’ legal affairs: personal wealth, public service, military leadership, New England Indian relations, and religious administration experience.