Abraham Davenport

File:Abraham Davenport by Ralph Earl 1788.jpeg

Abraham Davenport painted by Ralph Earl, 1788. Yale University Art Gallery

Abraham Davenport (1715 – November 20, 1789) was an American politician who served in the Connecticut Governor's Council during the American Revolution, and as a colonel in the Connecticut state militia. He is famous for his response to his colleagues during New England's Dark Day, which many feared was a sign that the Last Judgment was approaching. His response had been: "I am against adjournment. The day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought."

John Greenleaf Whittier wrote a poem about the famous incident, "Abraham Davenport" first published in The Atlantic Monthly (May 1866).

External links

• "Abraham Davenport 1715–1789" at The Stamford Historical Society
  • "Abraham Davenport & The Dark Day" at The Stamford Historical Society