{{Short description|American politician and military officer (1756–1834)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Epaphroditus Champion | image = Anson Dickinson - Portrait of Epaphroditus Champion in 1825.jpg | image_size = | caption = ''Portrait of Champion by Anson Dickinson'' | state = Connecticut | district = at-large | term_start = March 4, 1807 | term_end = March 3, 1817 | predecessor = Theodore Dwight | successor = Ebenezer Huntington | state2 = | district2 = | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | office3 = Member of the Connecticut General Assembly | term3 = 1791-1806 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1756|4|6|mf=y}} | birth_place = Colchester, Connecticut Colony, British America | death_date = {{Death date and age|1834|12|22|1756|4|6|mf=y}} | death_place = East Haddam, Connecticut, U.S. | occupation = War Veteran, Politician, Landowner | spouse = {{marriage|Lucretia Hubbard|1781}} | children = 3 | parents = Colonel Henry Champion<br>Deborah Brainard Champion | relations = Henry Champion (brother) | party = Federalist | alma_mater = }}
'''Epaphroditus Champion Sr.''' (April 6, 1756 – December 22, 1834) was an American military officer and politician who lived in Connecticut. Henry Champion was his father. Epaphroditus Champion served in the Connecticut Assembly and as a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.
==Early life== Champion was born in Colchester in the Connecticut Colony, son of Colonel Henry Champion and Deborah (Brainard) Champion.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://records.ancestry.com/Epaphroditus_Champion_records.ashx?pid=34836973|title = Epaphroditus Champion (1756 - 1834)|publisher= Ancestry.com|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref> He was educated both by private tutors and in the common schools.
One of Champion's brothers, Henry Champion, was a major in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and served in the Connecticut state house of representatives.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/chambliss-chancie.html#538.00.23|title = Champion, Henry (1751-1836) |publisher= The Political Graveyard|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref> <ref>{{cite book|title=Descendants of the brothers Jeremiah and John Wood|year=1885|publisher=W. S. Wood|pages=11|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GPtfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA11}}</ref>
==Career== 175px|thumb|left|Coat of Arms of Epaphroditus Champion During the American Revolutionary War, Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull directed Champion's father, Connecticut state commissary Colonel Henry Champion, to collect cattle and drive them to Valley Forge. Champion helped his father gather a herd of 300 cattle at Hartford, Connecticut and drive them west to King's Ferry, across the Hudson, into New Jersey, across the Delaware to Washington's famished troops west of the Schuylkill. They were devoured in five days prompting Champion to remark that the cattle were so thoroughly eaten that "you might have made a knife out of every bone."<ref>{{cite book|last=Roth|first=David Morris|title=Connecticut's war Governor, Jonathan Trumbull|url=https://archive.org/details/connecticutswarg00roth|url-access=registration|year=1974|publisher=Pequot Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/connecticutswarg00roth/page/45 45–46]|isbn=9780871061492 }}</ref> Champion was named assistant commissary to Trumbull in 1776, and was the first Commissary General of the Continental Army.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.com/2011/07/epaphroditus-champion-1756-1834.html|title = Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834) |date = July 21, 2011 |publisher= The Strangest Names in American Political History|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.colchesterhistory.org/colchester-historical-society-exhibits/the-champion-story/|title = The Champion Story: General George Washington and The Champion Family of Colchester|publisher= Colchester Historical Society|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref>
Champion moved to East Haddam, Connecticut in 1782. He served as a captain in the Twenty-fourth Regiment of the Connecticut State militia from 1784 to 1792, as major from 1793 to 1794, as lieutenant colonel from 1795 to 1798, and as brigadier general of the Seventh Brigade from 1800 to 1803.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000288|title=CHAMPION, Epaphroditus, (1756 - 1834)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|accessdate= December 27, 2012 }}</ref><ref name="ConnQuarterly">{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Quarterly, Volume 2|year=1896|publisher=Connecticut Quarterly Company|pages=126|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6_4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA126}}</ref>
He worked as a merchant, shipowner, exporter and importer. He was successful in conducting trade in the West Indies.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/archon/index.php?p=collections/findingaid&id=9&q=&rootcontentid=8499 |title = Deming, Perkins, and Quincy families papers, 1762-1950 |publisher= Litchfield Historical Society|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref> Champion was a member of the Connecticut state assembly from 1791 to 1806.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CT/nautical.html|title = Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834) |publisher= The Political Graveyard|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref> He was elected as a Federalist candidate to the Tenth United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1807, to March 3, 1817.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/epaphroditus_champion/402430|title = Rep. Epaphroditus Champion|publisher= Govtrack.us |accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref> After serving in Congress, he resumed his former business activities. Champion served as commissary general of provisions for army pensioners in 1832.<ref>{{cite book|last=United States. Government Printing Office|title=Congressional serial set|year=1903|publisher=United States. Government Printing Office|pages=119|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwUdAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA119}}</ref>
==Personal life== [[File:Mrs. Epaphroditus Champion (Lucretia Hubbard) by Anson Dickinson.jpg|thumb|Mrs. Epaphroditus Champion (Lucretia Hubbard) by Anson Dickinson]] In 1781, Champion married Lucretia Hubbard (1760–1836). Together, they had three children:<ref name="Geni">{{cite web|url= https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.com/2011/07/epaphroditus-champion-1756-1834.html|title = Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834)| date=July 21, 2011 |publisher= The Strangest Names in American Political History|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org/ledger/students/137|title = Lucretia Champion Bacon |publisher= Litchfield Historical Society|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref>
* Lucretia Champion (1783–1882)<ref name="Geni"/> * Clarissa Champion (1785–1801)<ref name="Geni"/> * Epaphroditus Champion Jr. (1786–1841).<ref name="Geni"/>
Champion died on December 22, 1834, in East Haddam, Connecticut. He is interred in Riverview Cemetery in East Haddam. His epitaph reads, "Talents, benevolence and integrity characterized his spotless life."<ref name="ConnQuarterly" />
===Legacy=== Champion's home in East Haddam is included in the East Haddam Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The home is named the General Epaphroditus Champion House and was built in a late-Georgian style.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.livingplaces.com/CT/Middlesex_County/East_Haddam_Town/East_Haddam_Historic_District.html|title = East Haddam Historic District|publisher= Living Places|accessdate= December 27, 2012}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}} <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
==External links== <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded --> * [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000288 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: CHAMPION, Epaphroditus, (1756 - 1834)] * {{Find a Grave|6921232}} * [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/epaphroditus_champion/402430 Govtrack.us: Epaphroditus Champion] * [https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.com/2011/07/epaphroditus-champion-1756-1834.html The Strangest Names in American Political History: Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834)] * [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CT/nautical.html The Political Graveyard: Epaphroditus Champion (1756-1834)] * [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/guidedisplay.pl?index=C000288 Biographical Directory of The United States Congress: Guide to Research Collections]
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box | state= Connecticut | district=AL | before=Theodore Dwight | after=Uriel Holmes | years=March 4, 1807 – March 3, 1817 }} {{s-end}}
{{United States representatives from Connecticut}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Epaphroditus}} Category:1756 births Category:1834 deaths Category:People from Colchester, Connecticut Category:Federalist Party United States representatives from Connecticut Category:People of Connecticut in the American Revolution Category:19th-century United States representatives Category:18th-century Connecticut politicians Category:Members of the Connecticut General Assembly