David Humphreys, soldier and diplomat, was born on 10 July 1752 in Derby, Connecticut. A graduate of Yale, he served with distinction in the Revolutionary War as a lieutenant-colonel and aide-de-camp to George Washington. In 1784 Humphreys accepted a secretaryship for negotiating treaties with foreign powers, the start of a career in diplomacy that included stints as commissioner in Algerine affairs, minister to Portugal (1791–97), and minister to Spain (1797–1801). He also sat in the Connecticut legislature and wrote poetry.