Benjamin Thomas (politician)

Benjamin F. Thomas


Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 3rd district
In office June 11, 1861 – March 3, 1863
Preceded by	Charles Francis Adams Sr.
Succeeded by	Alexander H. Rice

Personal details
Born	February 12, 1813 Boston, Massachusetts
Died	September 27, 1883(1883-09-27) (aged 70) Beverly Farms, Massachusetts
Political party	Union

Benjamin Franklin Thomas (February 12, 1813 – September 27, 1878) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts and an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Early years[]

In 1819, Thomas moved with his parents to Worcester, Massachusetts, and attended Lancaster Academy. He was the grandson of publisher Isaiah Thomas.^[1] He graduated from Rhode Island's Brown University in 1830. Thomas studied law at Harvard Law School and with his cousin, Pliny Merrick of Worcester. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in Worcester.

Political career[]

Throughout his life, Thomas held several local offices. In 1842, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was commissioner of bankruptcy in 1842, judge of probate for Worcester County 1844-1848, and a presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1848. Thomas was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1853 to 1859. Thomas continued the practice of law in Boston. In 1861 he was elected as a Unionist to the 37th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles F. Adams, and served from June 11, 1861, to March 3, 1863. He served on the judiciary committee and the special committee on the bankrupt law. In 1868 he was nominated by the governor for chief justice of Massachusetts, but the nomination was not confirmed by the council. He was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1840, and would be deeply involved with the society in various ways for the rest of his life.^[2] He served on the society's board of councilors from 1842 to 1843, as secretary for domestic correspondence from 1841 to 1867, and as vice president from 1867 until his death in 1878.^[3] Thomas died at his home in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts on September 27, 1878, and is interred at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston.

References[]

^ Davis, William Thomas (1900). History of the Judiciary of Massachusetts: Including the Plymouth and Massachusetts Colonies, the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and the Commonwealth. Boston Books Company. pp. 192.
^ "MemberListT". American Antiquarian Society. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
^ Dunbar, B. (1987). Members and Officers of the American Antiquarian Society. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society.

External links[]

United States Congress. "Benjamin Thomas (id: T000157)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Benjamin Thomas at Find a Grave
Epitaph

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Charles Francis Adams, Sr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district June 11, 1861 – March 3, 1863	Succeeded by Alexander H. Rice
Legal offices
Preceded by Richard Fletcher	Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1839–1859	Succeeded by Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar

show v t Members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
1st district	F. Ames Dexter Goodhue Holten Sedgwick Skinner Sedgwick J. Bacon Eustis Quincy Ward Jr. Mason Gorham Webster Gorham N. Appleton Gorham A. Lawrence Fletcher A. Lawrence Winthrop N. Appleton Winthrop S. Eliot W. Appleton Scudder T. D. Eliot Hall T. D. Eliot Buffington Crapo R. Davis Randall Wright G. Lawrence Treadway Heselton Conte Olver Neal
2nd district	Goodhue Foster W. Lyman Sedgwick Ward Sr. W. Lyman Shepard J. Crowninshield Story Pickman W. Reed Pickering Silsbee Barstow B. Crowninshield Choate Phillips Saltonstall D. King Rantoul Fay Crocker Buffington O. Ames Harris Long E. Morse Gillett Churchill Bowles Kaynor Granfield Clason Furcolo Boland Neal McGovern
3rd district	Gerry Bourne Coffin S. Lyman Mattoon Cutler Nelson Livermore White Pickering Nelson Varnum Nelson Osgood Cushing A. Abbott Duncan Edmands Damrell C. Adams Thomas A. Rice Twichell Whiting I Pierce Field B. Dean Field Ranney L. Morse J. Andrew Walker J. R. Thayer R. Hoar C. Washburn J. A. Thayer Wilder Paige F. Foss Casey Philbin Drinan Donohue Early Blute McGovern N. Tsongas Trahan
4th district	Sedgwick Dearborn G. Thatcher Wadsworth Foster L. Lincoln Sr. Hastings Varnum W. Richardson Dana Stearns Fuller E. Everett Sa. Hoar Parmenter Thompson Palfrey Thompson Sabine Walley Comins A. Rice Hooper Frost J. Abbott L. Morse Collins O'Neil Apsley Weymouth Tirrell Mitchell Wilder Winslow Stobbs P. Holmes Donohue Drinan Frank Kennedy III Auchincloss
5th district	Partridge Bourne Freeman L. Williams T. Dwight Ely Mills Lathrop Sibley J. Davis L. Lincoln Jr. Hudson C. Allen W. Appleton Burlingame W. Appleton Hooper Alley Butler Gooch Banks Bowman L. Morse Hayden Banks Sh. Hoar Stevens Knox B. Ames J. Rogers E. Rogers B. Morse Cronin P. Tsongas Shannon Atkins Meehan N. Tsongas Markey Clark
6th district	G. Thatcher Leonard J. Reed Sr. J. Smith Taggart S. Allen Locke Kendall Grennell Alvord Baker Ashmun G. Davis Upham T. Davis Alley Gooch Banks Butler Thompson Loring Stone Lovering Lodge Cogswell Moody Gardner Lufkin A.P. Andrew G. Bates W. Bates Harrington Mavroules Torkildsen Tierney Moulton
7th district	Leonard Ward Sr. Leonard Bullock Bishop Mitchell Barker Baylies Turner Baylies Hulbert Shaw H. Dwight S. Allen Grennell Briggs J. Rockwell Goodrich Banks Gooch Boutwell Brooks Esty E. Hoar Tarbox Butler W. Russell Stone Cogswell W. Everett Barrett Roberts Phelan Maloney W. Connery L. Connery Lane Macdonald Markey Capuano Pressley
8th district	Grout G. Thatcher F. Ames Otis Eustis L. Williams Green Gardner Green J. Reed Jr. Baylies Sampson Hobart Lathrop Bates Calhoun J. Adams Mann Wentworth Knapp Train Baldwin G. Hoar J. M. S. Williams Warren Claflin Candler W Russell C. H. Allen Greenhalge Stevens McCall Deitrick Dallinger H. Thayer Dallinger Healey Goodwin Macdonald O'Neill Kennedy II Capuano Lynch
9th district	Varnum Bishop J. Dean Wheaton J. Reed Jr. Folger J. Reed Jr. H. Dwight Briggs Jackson Hastings H. Williams Hale Fowler Little De Witt E. Thayer Bailey A. Walker W. Washburn Crocker G. Hoar W. Rice T. Lyman Ely Burnett Candler G. Williams O'Neil Fitzgerald Conry Keliher Murray Roberts Fuller Underhill Luce R. Russell Luce T. H. Eliot Gifford Nicholson Keith McCormack Hicks Moakley Lynch Keating
10th district	Goodhue Sewall Read Hastings Upham J. Allen Brigham Wheaton Morton F Baylies Bailey H. A. S. Dearborn W. Baylies Borden H. Williams Borden Burnell Grinnell Scudder Dickinson Chaffee Delano Dawes Crocker Stevens Seelye Norcross W. Rice J. E. Russell J. Walker McEttrick Atwood Barrows Naphen McNary O'Connell Curley Murray Tague Fitzgerald Tague Douglass Tinkham Herter Curtis Martin Heckler Studds Delahunt Keating
11th district	Bradbury Bartlett Cutler Stedman A. Bigelow Brigham B. Adams J. Russell Hobart J. Richardson J. Adams J. Reed Jr. Burnell Goodrich Trafton Dawes Chapin Robinson Whiting II Wallace Coolidge Draper Sprague Powers Sullivan Peters Tinkham Douglass Higgins Flaherty Curley Kennedy O'Neill Burke Donnelly
12th district	H. Dearborn I. Parker Lee S. Thatcher Skinner Larned Bidwell Bacon Dewey Hulbert Strong Kendall L. Bigelow Baylies Hodges J. Adams Robinson F. Rockwell Crosby E. Morse Lovering Powers Weeks Curley Gallivan McCormack Keith Studds
13th district	Wadsworth Seaver Ruggles Dowse Eustis J. Reed Jr. Randall Simpkins Greene Weeks Mitchell Carter Luce Wigglesworth Burke
14th district	G. Thatcher Cutts C. King J. Holmes Lovering E. Foss Harris Gilmore Olney Frothingham Wigglesworth Martin
15th district	Wadsworth Ilsley Whitman Widgery Bradbury Whitman Greene Leach Martin Gifford
16th district	S. Thatcher Cook Tallman S. Davis Brown Orr Hill Thacher Walsh Gifford
17th district	Bruce Chandler Gannett F. Carr Wood J. Carr Wilson Kinsley
18th district	Wilson T. Rice J. Parker
19th district	J. Parker Conner Gage Cushman
20th district	Hubbard Parris E. Lincoln
At-large	Cobb

show v t Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Chief justices (1692–present)	Stoughton Winthrop Addington Winthrop Samuel Sewall Lynde Sr. Dudley Stephen Sewall T. Hutchinson Lynde Jr. Oliver Adams Cushing Sargent Dana Parsons Sewall Parker Shaw Chapman Gray Morton W. Field Holmes Knowlton Rugg F. Field Qua Tauro Hennessey Liacos H. Wilkins Marshall Ireland Gants Budd
Provincial period Associate justices (1692–1775)	Danforth Richards Samuel Sewall Winthrop Cooke Saffin Hathorne Leverett Curwin Lynde Sr. Thomas Davenport Quincy Dudley Remington Graves Stephen Sewall Hubbard Lynde Jr. Russell Oliver Trowbridge F. Hutchinson W. Cushing Brown
Revolutionary period Associate justices (1775–80)	Sargent Paine Warren Foster Sullivan D. Sewall
Commonwealth period Associate justices (1780–present)	Sumner Dana N. Cushing Paine Dawes Bradbury Sewall Strong Thatcher Sedgwick Parker Jackson D. Dewey Wilde C. Dewey Lincoln M. Morton Sr. Fletcher Metcalf C. Cushing Merrick Thomas Hoar Chapman Gray Colt Foster Ames M. Morton Jr. Devens Endicott Lord Soule Devens W. Field C. Allen Colburn Holmes Gardner Knowlton J. Morton Barker Loring Rugg Crosby Pierce Jenney F. Field Donahue Qua Cox Dolan Williams Whittemore Kirk Jacob Spiegel Reardon Braucher Hennessey Kaplan H. Wilkins Liacos Abrams Lynch Nolan O'Connor Greaney Fried Marshall Ireland Cowin Spina Sosman Cordy Botsford Gants Duffly Lenk Hines Gaziano Lowy Budd Cypher Kafker Wendlandt Georges Jr.
Italics indicate individuals who were offered seats on the court, but refused

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