John Trumbull (1750 - 1831)

John Trumbull

John Trumbull is an American writer poet-satirist.

He studied law at Yale University, worked as a tutor and wrote poetry and essays, and was a leader of the satirical group The Hartford Witters. In his satirical poems Trumbull ridiculed, among other things, the educational system of his day, and he gained fame for his satirical epic poem on the American Revolution, M'Fingal (1775-82), which focused on the ineptitude of the British during the War of Independence.

John Trumbull later served as state's attorney in 1789 and then as a state legislator and judge until 1819. In 1791, he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

John Trumbull is a third cousin of the painter John Trumbull (1756-1843).