Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives 1803 – 1804

Judge Theophilus Harrington came to Vermont in 1785 from Rhode Island and became a member of the Ira church. He was a plain dirt farmer, not a lawyer, but served on the Supreme Court of the state and made the famous decision in a case involving ownership of slaves in a free state, an account of which follows.. Cont

Upon Judge Harrington’s monument is chiseled the following inscription:

“He sleeps on the hills
No slave ever trod,
Nor claimant brought bills
From Almighty God.”

1762-1813