Name

The family name Phoenix, sometimes spelled Phœnix, derives from the homophonous English family name Fenwicks which is pronounced like FENN-ix. (This is quite different from the Greek mythological bird and the Arizona state capital which are pronounced like FEE-nix.) The Fenwicks resided originally at the Fenwick Tower

Fenwick Tower (Northumberland)

Fenwick Tower was a 12th century tower house at Matfen, Northumberland, England.The house was the home of the Fenwick family from the 12th century until they moved to Wallington in the 16th century....

 in Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

.

Life

Thomas Phoenix graduated A.B.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from Columbia College

Columbia College of Columbia University

Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...

 in 1795. He was admitted to the bar in 1798.

He was New York County District Attorney

New York County District Attorney

The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....

 from 1835 to 1838. In 1836, he prosecuted Richard P. Robinson for the murder of Helen Jewett

Helen Jewett

Helen Jewett was an upscale New York City prostitute whose murder, along with the subsequent trial and acquittal of her alleged killer, Richard P. Robinson, generated an unprecedented amount of media coverage....

, but lost the case to Ogden Hoffman, his predecessor in the D.A's office, who appeared for the defence and secured Robinson's acquittal.

Sources

• Prominent Families of New York (page 309)
• Catalogue of Officers and Graduates issued by Columbia College (page 47)
• Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors (1839, pages 653ff; with a report on his accounts as D.A.)
• Documents of the Board of Aldermen (1841–42, Vol. VIII, page 29, rejecting his claim for extra compensation as D.A.)
• The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 377; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)