Thomas G. Talmage

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Thomas Goyn Talmage (October 22, 1801 – May 4, 1863) was an American politician and Mayor of Brooklyn.

Life[]

Talmage was born on October 22, 1801 in Somerville, New Jersey, the son of Goyn Talmage and Magdalene Terhune.[1]

In 1819, Talmage moved to New York City and began working as a clerk for merchant Abraham Van Ness. From 1823 to 1836, he worked in the wholesale grocery business.[2] In 1827, he was elected Alderman of the First Ward as a Democrat. He initially resided on Stone Street. In 1832, he moved to Greenwich Village in the Ninth Ward.[3] He served in the New York State Assembly in 1837 as a New York County representative.[4] From 1838 to 1839, he was a member of the New York City Common Council and served as President of the Board of Aldermen.[1]

In 1840, Talmage moved to Brooklyn. He served in that city's board of aldermen from 1842 to 1845, first representing the 8th Ward and then the 6th Ward.[2] In 1845, he was elected Mayor of Brooklyn, and under his mayoral administration the Brooklyn City Hall was built. In 1846, Governor Silas Wright appointed him County Judge. He later became Loan Commissioner of the United States Deposit Fund for Kings County.[1] In the late 1850s, he was an early and major promoter of Prospect Park, managed to get the State Legislature to support the creation of the park, and was one of the first three park commissioners.[3] After his third marriage, he moved to Gowanus, a neighborhood he helped develop as Mayor. He became President of the Broadway Rail Road Company in 1858, and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce.[2]

In 1823, Talmage married a sister of Senator Jacob W. Miller,[2] Dorothy Miller. Their children were Mary Louise, David Miller, William H., and Tunis Van Pelt. In 1835, he married his second wife, Sarah Maria Van Brunt. Their children were Thomas Adriance and Jane Elizabeth. After Sarah died in 1843, he married his third wife, Harriet Stone, daughter of Judge Tunis Jarolemon. They had one child, Frederick.[1] Talmage's son Tunis was an active politician himself, serving as supervisor, alderman, and assemblyman, and was twice an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor.[3]

Talmage died at home from pneumonia on May 4, 1863.[5] He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Talmadge, Arthur White (1909). The Talmadge, Tallmadge and Talmage Genealogy. New York, N.Y.: The Grafton Press. pp. 121, 199–200 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d Stiles, Henry R. (1869). A History of the City of Brooklyn. II. Brooklyn, N.Y. pp. 276–277 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c Ross, Peter (1902). A History of Long Island, From Its Earliest Settlement To The Present Time. II. The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 108–109 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ Hough, Franklin B. (1858). The New York Civil List. Albany, N.Y.: Weed, Parsons & Co. p. 219 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Death of Hon. Thomas G. Talmage". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 22 (104). Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 May 1863. p. 2 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Brooklyn
1845 		Succeeded by
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