Thomas Chittenden
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Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730 – August 25, 1797) was an important figure in the founding of Vermont.
Chittenden was born in East Guilford, Connecticut and moved to Vermont in 1774, where he founded the town of Williston. During the American Revolution, Chittenden was a member of a committee empowered to negotiate with the Continental Congress to allow Vermont to join the Union. The Congress deferred the matter in order to not antagonize the states of New York and New Hampshire, which had competing claims against Vermont. In 1777, a convention was held in Windsor, which drafted Vermont's first constitution (http://vermont-archives.org/govinfo/constitut/con77.htm|), establishing Vermont as an independent republic—the first republic in North America. During this period, Chittenden served as the republic's Governor from 1778 to 1789 and from 1790 to 1791.
After Vermont entered the Union in 1791 as the 14th State, Chittenden continued to serve as Governor until 1797. He died a few weeks after he left office.