Wolcott, << WUL kuht, >> Oliver (1726-1797), an American statesman, was a Connecticut signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also served as a member of Connecticut’s convention to ratify the Constitution of the United States. He strongly supported ratification.
Wolcott was born on Nov. 20, 1726, in Windsor, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale College in 1747. He served several terms in the Connecticut legislature between 1764 and 1786. Wolcott was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1776 to 1778 and a member of the Congress of the Confederation from 1781 to 1783. He served as governor of Connecticut from 1796 until his death on Dec. 1, 1797.
Wolcott also became a military leader, rising to the rank of major general. He helped defend the Atlantic coast from British attack during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783).
