Thomas Child Jr.

Thomas Child Jr. (March 18, 1818 – March 9, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician. Originally from Bakersfield, Vermont, he graduated from the University of Vermont in 1838 and became an attorney in Berkshire, Vermont. Child later relocated to New York City, and he was a longtime resident of Staten Island.

For other people named Thomas Child, see Thomas Child (disambiguation).
Thomas Child
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 7th district
In office
March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
Preceded byWilliam A. Walker
Succeeded byElijah Ward
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the Richmond County district
In office
January 1, 1866 – December 31, 1866
Preceded byJames Ridgway
Succeeded byNathaniel Wyeth
Town Supervisor of Northfield, New York
In office
1863–1864
Preceded byPeter C. Laforge
Succeeded byCharles Van Name
Personal details
Born(1818-03-18)March 18, 1818
Bakersfield, Vermont, U.S.
DiedMarch 9, 1869(1869-03-09) (aged 50)
Port Richmond, New York, U.S.
Resting placeGreen-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political partyWhig (Before 1856)
Republican (1856–1869)
SpouseMary Mansfield (m. 1844)[1]
Children5[2]
EducationUniversity of Vermont (BA)
ProfessionAttorney

Originally a Whig, he served one term as in the United States House of Representatives, March 4 1855 to March 3, 1857. After the end of the Whig Party, Child became a Democrat, but joined the Republican Party because of his stance in favor of the Union during the American Civil War. He went on to serve as town supervisor of Northfield, New York from 1863 to 1864, and a member of the New York State Assembly in 1866.

Life

Thomas Child Jr. was born in Bakersfield, Vermont on March 18, 1818, a son of attorney Thomas Child (1779-1862) and Lydia Adams Child (1780-1853).[1][3] Child attended the common schools and entered the University of Vermont at the age of fourteen. He graduated in 1838,[4] and served the same year as a member of the State constitutional convention.[3]

Child studied law with his father, was admitted to the bar in September 1839, and commenced practice in Berkshire, Vermont.[3] He was a partner of Homer E. Royce, who had also studied with Timothy Child Sr., and served as a justice of the peace beginning in 1840.[3][5] He moved to New York City in 1848 and engaged in the distilling business.[3][6]

Congress

Child was elected as a Whig to the 34th United States Congress, for the term beginning on March 4, 1855, but never took his seat due to illness.[3] On March 3, 1857, the last day of the session, the House resolved that his salary be paid to him from August 18, 1856 to March 3, 1857, as "though he had been in regular attendance at the sittings of the House".[3]

Later career

He moved to Port Richmond on Staten Island, in 1857 and retired from active business.[3] After the demise of the Whigs, Child became a Democrat,[7] but his pro-Union position during the American Civil War[8] caused him to identify with the Republican Party.[9] He was Town Supervisor of Northfield from 1863 to 1864.[3] He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Richmond County) in 1866.[3][9]

Death and burial

Child died in Port Richmond on March 9, 1869.[3] He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.[3]

See also

References
  1. Bond, Henry (1855). Family Memorials: Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Company. pp. 563–564 – via Google Books.
  2. "1860 United States Federal Census, Entry for Thomas Child Jr. Family". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. June 26, 1860. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  3. Joint Committee On Printing, United States Congress (1928). Biographical Directory of the American Congress, 1774-1927. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 807 – via Google Books.
  4. Goodrich, John Ellsworth (1901). General Catalogue of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College. Burlington, VT: Burlington Free Press Association. p. 65.
  5. Royce, Stephen (1871). Hemenway, Abby Maria (ed.). "Berkshire". The Vermont Historical Gazetteer. Vol. 2, Part 1. Burlington, VT: A. M. Hemenway. p. 116 – via Google Books.
  6. Lowenthal, David (1953). George Perkins Marsh (PhD thesis). Vol. 2. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin–Madison. p. 367. Retrieved October 24, 2023 – via Google Books.
  7. "Acknowledgments: Thomas Child Jr". The Democrat. St. Albans, VT. June 26, 1860. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Leng, Charles William; Davis, William Thompson (1930). Staten Island and Its People: A History, 1609-1929. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing. p. 276 – via Google Books.
  9. "Members of Assembly Probably Elected". Weekly Express. Buffalo, NY. November 14, 1865. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
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