Learned was born in
Killingly in the
Connecticut Colony, the son of Deacon Ebenezer Learned and Keziah (Leavens) Learned. He was prepared for college by a private tutor and graduated from
Yale College in 1772. Learned taught in the Union School in
New London. He studied theology, received a license from the Windham Association in October 1773, and preached for a short time before entering politics. While living in Killingly, Learned began the study of law in 1778. He was elected a member of the
Connecticut House of Representatives in 1779. After moving to New London, he served again in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1785 to 1791. He was a member of the convention which ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1788. Learned was elected to the upper house of assistants in 1791, and simultaneously served as a judge of the
Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1791 to 1792. He was elected as a Pro-Administration candidate to the Second and Third Congresses, serving from March 4, 1791, to March 3, 1795; he was also the runner-up for another of Connecticut's at-large congressional districts in a December 1790 special election, losing to
Jeremiah Wadsworth. He engaged in land speculations while serving in Congress. After serving in Congress, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1818. ==Personal life==