Richard D. Hubbard, Governor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dudley_Hubbard

Richard Dudley Hubbard (September 7, 1818 - February 28, 1884) was a United States Representative and the 48th Governor of Connecticut. Born in Berlin, Connecticut, he was orphaned while young, he pursued preparatory studies at East Hartford and graduated from Yale College in 1839, where he was a member of Skull and Bones. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1842 and commenced practice in Hartford. He was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1842, 1855, and again in 1858, and was prosecuting attorney for Hartford County from 1846 to 1868.

A lifelong Democrat, he nevertheless supported the Federal government throughout the Civil War.

Hubbard was elected as a Democrat to the Fortieth Congress, holding office from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1869. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1868 and resumed the practice of law in Hartford. In November 1876 he was elected Governor of Connecticut, the first to be elected to a two-year term. He successfully advocated for legislation that altered the property rights of women, "making husband and wife equal in property rights." He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1878. He engaged in the practice of law from 1877 until his death in Hartford; interment was in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

A statue of Hubbard is on the east lawn of the Connecticut State Capitol building in Hartford Connecticut with a plaque that describes him as "Lawyer, Orator, Stateman."