Norwich — City leaders, historians and descendants gathered Friday to celebrate Samuel Huntington, a man called “Connecticut's favorite son in the days of Washington and Jefferson” in a song by former state Troubadour Tom Callinan at a wreath-laying ceremony at Huntington's tomb.

Giving snippets of Huntington's accomplishments and his passionate support for the Revolutionary War and later the push for a new national constitution, speakers wondered aloud why Huntington's name mostly is lost to history — at least outside of Norwich and Scotland, Conn., where his boyhood home is a museum run by some of his descendants.

Norwich honors Huntington annually with a wreath-laying ceremony on his grave sometime near his July 16 birthday, following the long-standing tradition for past presidents of the United States.

Huntington was president of the Continental Congress when the Articles of Confederation were enacted, a distinction the late Bill Stanley, champion of Norwich history, had argued should qualify for the national honor.

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Huntington's quiet manner may be the reason he didn't stand out among the more boisterous founders — including Alexander Hamilton, now celebrated in a Tony Award-winning play.

Huntington's personality, Courtney said, complemented the others.

“You really needed some guys who were calm and steady,” he said of the turbulent Revolutionary War period.

Historian Damien Cregeau told the more than 50 people in attendance Friday there is no debate about Huntington being in the thick of the action during and after the revolution.

More than 300 letters between Huntington and General George Washington remain extant — 122 written by Huntington to Washington and another 180 by the general to the president of Congress.

The documents are a treasure trove for historians looking for first-hand accounts of the struggles of the war and the fledgling government, Cregeau said.

They also provide a key resource on the shocking actions of another Norwich famous son, Benedict Arnold.

Cregeau said Washington wrote to Huntington on Sept. 25, 1780, just one week after Arnold's treason on Sept. 17, 1780.

The letter includes a list of the documents discovered on Arnold's co-conspirator, John Andre, including the plans to West Point, its defenses, manpower and a letter allowing Andre access to the fort “on public business.”

Huntington returned to Connecticut for health reasons following the war, but was far from done with public service.

He was appointed chief justice for the state and gave that up to become lieutenant governor.

He then was elected governor in annual elections for 10 consecutive years.

During that stint, Huntington advocated for the newly written Constitution in 1787.

Huntington and his wife, Martha, built the stately mansion at 34 E. Town St. adjacent to the colonial Norwichtown cemetery in 1785.

The couple had no children, but adopted their niece and nephew.

Mimi Stevenson, a Huntington descendant and president of the Samuel Huntington Homestead Museum in Scotland, invited the ceremony attendees to visit the museum, open on the first and third Saturdays of the month in summer.

Information about the museum is available at the Norwich Heritage Visitors Center at the Norwichtown Green.

The visitors center is open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the summer.

c.bessette@theday.com