Roger Sherman Baldwin (1793–1863) was an American lawyer, politician, and abolitionist best known for his legal defense in the Amistad case and his tenure as Governor of Connecticut and U.S. Senator.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Baldwin was the grandson of Roger Sherman, a Founding Father who signed all four foundational U.S. documents: the Continental Association, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. Baldwin graduated from Yale College in 1811 and studied law at the Litchfield Law School, entering the bar in 1814.
His most prominent legal moment came in 1841, when he defended a group of Mende Africans who had revolted aboard the Spanish slave ship La Amistad. Baldwin argued that the captives had been illegally enslaved and had the right to fight for their freedom. His advocacy helped secure their release, and the case became a landmark in American legal and abolitionist history.
Politically, Baldwin served in the Connecticut State Senate (1837–1838), the House of Representatives (1840–1841), and was elected Governor of Connecticut from 1844 to 1846. During his governorship, he pushed for voting reform and attempted to pass legislation for Black suffrage, though it was unsuccessful at the time. He later served as a U.S. Senator from 1847 to 1851 and was a delegate to the Washington Peace Conference in 1861, an effort to prevent the Civil War.
Baldwin died in 1863 and is buried at Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven. His legacy continued through his son, Simeon Eben Baldwin, who also became Governor of Connecticut and a prominent legal scholar.
