David Humphreys

Colonel David Humphreys by Gilbert Stuart, ca. 1808-1810. (Courtesy Yale University Art Gallery)

David Humphreys (1752–1818) served in the American Revolution as aide-de-camp to George Washington before going on to a career as a diplomat, farmer, and poet. Educated at Yale, he became a member of the “Hartford Wits,” a group of writers dedicated to establishing a national literature based on uniquely American themes.

Related Resources

David Humphreys, A Valedictory Discourse, Delivered before the Cincinnati of Connecticut, in Hartford, July 4th, 1804, at the Dissolution of the Society (Boston: Gilbert and Dean, 1804)

“A Valedictory Discourse,” 1804

An anti-slavery poem delivered in speech to Revolutionary War veterans

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Detail of The Apotheosis of George Washington from the US Capitol

“A Poem on the Death of General Washington,” 1800

A verse from a poem praising Washington's decision to free people he had enslaved

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David Humphreys, A Poem on Industry. Addressed to the Citizens of the United States of America (Philadelphia, 1794)

“A Poem on Industry,” 1794

A passionate poem calling for the abolition of slavery

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