ELLSWORTH, OLIVER
Oliver Ellsworth served as the third chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Though his tenure on the Court was undistinguished, Ellsworth played an important part in shaping the political and legal structure of the United States as a representative at the Constitutional Convention and as a U.S. senator.
Ellsworth was born April 29, 1745, in Wind-
sor, Connecticut, into a prosperous and distin-
guished family. He attended Yale College (now
Yale University), then transferred to Princeton,
where he graduated in 1766. Ellsworth enter-
tained thoughts of becoming a minister but
decided to enter the legal profession. He was
admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1771 and
was quickly recognized as an able attorney.
Politics soon attracted Ellsworth. A propo-
nent of American independence, he served in
the Connecticut General Assembly in 1775.
From 1777 to 1783 he was a member of the CON-
TINENTAL CONGRESS and from 1780 to 1784 he
sat on the Connecticut Governor’s Council.
Ellsworth also served as a trial judge during this
period.
Ellsworth advocated a strong national gov-
ernment and aligned himself with the FEDERAL-
IST PARTY.When the Constitutional Convention
convened in 1787, Ellsworth served as a repre-
sentative from Connecticut. During the writing
of the Constitution Ellsworth contributed the
phrase “United States.” More important,
Ellsworth and ROGER SHERMAN convinced the
convention to adopt their Connecticut Com-
promise (sometimes called the Great Compro-
mise), which resolved the nature of the federal
legislature.
The convention had been divided over this
issue. EDMUND RANDOLPH offered the Virginia
Plan, which was supported by the more popu-
lated states. This plan provided for a bicameral
(two-chambered) legislature with representa-
