Thomas H. Blake

Thomas Holdsworth Blake (June 14, 1792 – November 28, 1849) was an American politician who served as a United States Representative from Indiana from 1827 to 1829.

Thomas H. Blake
9th Commissioner of the General Land Office
In office
May 19, 1842  April 16, 1845
PresidentJohn Tyler
James K. Polk
Preceded byElisha Mills Huntington
Succeeded byJames Shields
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1827  March 3, 1829
Preceded byRatliff Boon
Succeeded byRatliff Boon
Personal details
Born(1792-06-14)June 14, 1792
Calvert County, Maryland, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 1849(1849-11-28) (aged 57)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Terre Haute
Political partyNational Republican
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/serviceDistrict of Columbia Militia
Battles/warsWar of 1812
* Battle of Bladensburg

Biography

Born in Calvert County, Maryland, Blake attended the public schools, and studied law in Washington, D.C.

War of 1812

During his time in Washington, he served as a member of the militia of the District of Columbia which took part in the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814, during the War of 1812.

Early career

He later moved to Kentucky and then Indiana. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Terre Haute, Indiana; he served as prosecuting attorney and judge of the circuit court, serving as the US Attorney for the District of Indiana from 1817 to 1818. He was also a businessman who served in the Indiana House of Representatives.

Congress

Blake was elected as a National Republican to the 20th United States Congress, sitting from March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1829; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1828 to the Twenty-first Congress.

Later career

On May 19, 1842, President Tyler appointed him as Commissioner of the General Land Office; he served until April 1845.

In later years, he was a resident trustee of the Wabash & Erie Canal, and he also visited England as a financial agent of the state of Indiana.

Death and burial

While returning from that trip, he died in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 28, 1849, and was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, in Terre Haute.

Electoral history

General election 1826[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Anti-Jacksonian Thomas H. Blake 5,223 43.0
Democratic Ratliff Boon 5,202 42.8
Independent Lawrence S. Shuler 1,723 14.2
General election 1828[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ratliff Boon 7,272 52.2
Anti-Jacksonian Thomas H. Blake 6,671 47.8

Notes

  1. Congressional Quarterly, p. 548
  2. Congressional Quarterly, p. 551

References

  • United States Congress. "Thomas H. Blake (id: B000534)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

"Blake, Thomas Holdsworth" . Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.

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