HUMPHREYS, David, American writer and diplomat: b. Derby, Conn, 10 July 1752; d. New Haven, 21 Feb. 1818. 14e was educated at Yale and graduated in 1771; after teaching for a few years he entered the army at the be ginning of the Revolutionary War, serving as aide-de-camp to Generals Parsons and Put nam and in 1780 became a colonel and aide de-camp to General Washington, who became his sincere friend and patron. In 1784 he went to Europe as secretary of the commission for negotiating treaties of commerce with for eign powers consisting of Jefferson, Franklin and Adams; in 1786 was elected to the legisla ture of Connecticut and was soon associated with the "Hartford Hopkins, Trumbull and Barlow, in the composition of the 'An archiad,> a satirical poem of political condi tions existing at that time. After Washing ton's first election he acted, more or less unof ficially, as his private secretary. In 1789 he was appointed one of the three "commissioners for treating with Indians south of the Ohio?) In the following year he was sent to England, Portugal and Spain on a confidential diplomatic mission. He was Minister to Portugal 1791-97, Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain in 1797-1802. During his service in the diplomatic corps of the United States he concluded treaties with Tripoli and Algeria. On his return he imported from Spain 100 merino sheep, the first introduced into the United States, and en gaged in the manufacture of woolens. In 1806 he erected a woolen mill in Derby, one of the first in this country and destined to become one of the most successful. That part of Derby which he developed industrially becalm known from then on as Humphreysville. He held command of the Connecticut militia in the War of 1812, and also served in the State legisla ture 1812-14. He held honorary degrees from
Brown University and Dartmouth College, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. Throughout his entire life he displayed great interest in and considerable ability for writ ing. Amongst his works the best known are 'A Poem Addressed to the Armies of the Uni ted States of America) (New Haven 1780); (The Glory of America' (New Haven 1783); 'A Poem on the Happiness of. America) (Lon don 1786)- 'An Essay on the Life of the Hon. Major-General Israel Putnam> (Hartford 17::) ; 'A Poem on Industry) (Philadelphia 1794) ; 'The Yankey in England, a Drama in Five Acts) (1815); 'A Discourse on the Agri culture of the State of Connecticut, (New Haven 1818). Various collections of his writ ings were published: 'Poems) (Philadelphia 1789)- (The Miscellaneous' Works of Colonel Humphreys) (New York 1790) ; 'The Miscel laneous, Works of David Humphreys> (New York 1804). Consult Cutting, N., 'Journal of an Embassy to Algiers, 1793, under Col. David Humphreys) (in Dawson's Historical Maga zine, Vol. IV, pp. 262, 296, 359, New York 1860); Humphreys, F. W., (Life and Times of David Humphreys, etc.) (2 vols., New York 1917) ; Marble, A. R., 'David Hum phreys and his Services to American Freedom and Industry> (in New England Magazine, n. s. Vol. XXIX p. 690, Boston 1903-04); Or cutt, S., and Beardsley, A., (History of the Old Town of Derby, Conn., 1642-188(P (Spring field, Mass., 1880) ; Swift, L., (Our Literary Diplomats) (in Book Buyer, Vol. XX, g 369, New York 1900).