Benjamin Tallmadge

Benjamin Tallmadge
Benjamin Tallmadge portrait by artist Ezra Ames
Member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
In office March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1817
Preceded by	William Edmond
Succeeded by	Thomas Scott Williams
Personal details
Born	(1754-02-25)February 25, 1754 Setauket or Brookhaven, Province of New York
Died	March 7, 1835(1835-03-07) (aged 81) Litchfield, Connecticut
Spouse(s)	Mary Floyd (m. 1784; d. 1805) Maria Hallett (m. 1808)
Children	7, including Frederick A. Tallmadge
Alma mater	Yale College
Known for	Organized the Culper Spy Ring
Military service
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	2nd Continental Light Dragoons
Years of service	1776-1783
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	Revolutionary War:  • Battle of Fort St. George

Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spy master, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. In this conflict, he acted as leader of the Culper Ring, a celebrated network of spies in British-occupied New York. He also led a successful raid across Long Island that culminated in the Battle of Fort St. George. Following the war, Tallmadge was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party.

Tallmadge was born February 25, 1754, the son of Susannah Smith (1729–1768) and Rev. Samuel Tallmadge (1725–1786), a clergyman in Setauket, New York, a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven on Long Island. He graduated from Yale in 1773 and was a classmate of American Revolutionary War spy Nathan Hale. He was the father of New York City Police Commissioner Frederick A. Tallmadge. He remained in Connecticut and served as the superintendent of Wethersfield High School from 1773 to 1776.

Tallmadge was a major in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons. He was initially commissioned on June 20, 1776. Eventually, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel as the chief intelligence officer for George Washington. He organized the Culper Spy Ring based out of New York City and Long Island during the American Revolutionary War, using the code name John Bolton. The Culper Ring is thought by some to have revealed the betrayal of Benedict Arnold, though this is disputed. There is actually very little evidence to prove that Tallmadge had heard from a spy in New York City about the Arnold-André plot.