Benjamin Gale

Benjamin Gale (December 14, 1715 – May 6, 1790) was an American physician, scientist, agriculturist, inventor and political polemicist who was known for his political protests against the New Lights, which resulted in a fifteen year pamphlet war against leader Thomas Clap, and was himself considered a leader of Old Light politics in Connecticut.

Gale was born in Jamaica, Queens. After graduating from Yale University, he moved to Killingworth, Connecticut, where he further studied medicine and surgery. Throughout the next decade he would indulge in several business ventures and investments, which led to his invention of the drill plough. He was elected as justice of the peace and state representative in 1747, and would serve in those capacities until 1773 and 1770 respectively.

In 1755, Gale would publish his first pamphlet against Thomas Clap, which he wrote as a response against an earlier pamphlet written by Clap. This pamphlet ended up being successful, prompting a pamphlet war with Clap throughout the next fifteen years, which ended in Clap's eventual resignation in 1766.

Throughout his later life, Gale went on several ventures as an inventor, vintner and distiller. After surviving a serious illness in 1788, Gale eventually fell ill again which led to his death in 1790.
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