Jesse B. Thomas
Encyclopedia
Jesse Burgess Thomas was born in Shepherdstown
, Virginia
(now West Virginia
). He served as a delegate from the Indiana Territory
to the tenth Congress
and later served as one of Illinois
's first two Senator
s.
and served as the county clerk until 1803. He then moved north of the Ohio River
to Lawrenceburg
in Indiana Territory
, where he continued to practice law and became the territorial deputy attorney general in 1805. In the same year, he began serving as a delegate to the Territorial house of representatives, and was the body's speaker from 1805-1808. When Benjamin Parke
resigned as the territorial delegate to Congress, Thomas was appointed to fill the vacancy from October 22, 1808 until he moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois
on March 3, 1809.
When Illinois became a territory in 1809, Thomas was appointed judge of the United States
court for the northwestern judicial district
, a position he held from 1809 until 1818. In 1818, he presided over the Illinois State Constitutional Convention and upon admittance to the Union, he served as Democratic-Republican Senator for two terms (1818–1829).
In 1820, Thomas proposed the Missouri Compromise
to limit slavery above the southern border of Missouri
. In 1823 he switched parties and became a Crawford Republican. He served as chairman on the Committee on Public Lands
in the 16th and 18th Congress
es. He refused the nomination for a third term and moved to Mount Vernon, Ohio
in 1829, where he lived until he committed suicide on May 2, 1853. He is buried in Mound View Cemetery.
Thomas's nephew, Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.
served as Illinois Attorney General
and on Illinois Supreme Court.
Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
). He served as a delegate from the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
to the tenth Congress
10th United States Congress
- House of Representatives :- Senate :*President: George Clinton *President pro tempore: Samuel Smith , elected April 16, 1808** Stephen R. Bradley , elected December 28, 1808** John Milledge , elected January 30, 1809...
and later served as one of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
's first two Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
s.
Biography
Thomas studied law in Mason County, KentuckyMason County, Kentucky
Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,800. Its county seat is Maysville. The county is named for George Mason, a Virginia delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention, known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights"...
and served as the county clerk until 1803. He then moved north of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
to Lawrenceburg
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Lawrenceburg is a city in Dearborn County, Indiana, United States. The population was 5,042 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Dearborn County...
in Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
, where he continued to practice law and became the territorial deputy attorney general in 1805. In the same year, he began serving as a delegate to the Territorial house of representatives, and was the body's speaker from 1805-1808. When Benjamin Parke
Benjamin Parke
Benjamin Parke was a 19th-century American soldier and politician in the Indiana Territory and later state of Indiana.-Biography:...
resigned as the territorial delegate to Congress, Thomas was appointed to fill the vacancy from October 22, 1808 until he moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois
Kaskaskia, Illinois
Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. In the 2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population. A major French colonial town of the Illinois Country, its peak population was about...
on March 3, 1809.
When Illinois became a territory in 1809, Thomas was appointed judge of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
court for the northwestern judicial district
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
, a position he held from 1809 until 1818. In 1818, he presided over the Illinois State Constitutional Convention and upon admittance to the Union, he served as Democratic-Republican Senator for two terms (1818–1829).
In 1820, Thomas proposed the Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
to limit slavery above the southern border of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. In 1823 he switched parties and became a Crawford Republican. He served as chairman on the Committee on Public Lands
Committee on Public Lands
The Committee on Public Lands may refer to predecessors of current committees in the two houses of the United State Congress:*United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, formerly known as the Senate Committee on Public Lands...
in the 16th and 18th Congress
18th United States Congress
The Eighteenth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1823 to March 3, 1825, during the seventh and eighth...
es. He refused the nomination for a third term and moved to Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,990 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.-History:...
in 1829, where he lived until he committed suicide on May 2, 1853. He is buried in Mound View Cemetery.
Thomas's nephew, Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.
Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.
Jesse Burgess Thomas, Jr. was born in Lebanon, Ohio and was an Illinois politician who served as the Illinois Attorney General from 1835-1836 and later on the state Supreme Court....
served as Illinois Attorney General
Illinois Attorney General
The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by election through universal suffrage...
and on Illinois Supreme Court.