Thomas Watkins Ligon

Thomas Watkins Ligon (born May 10, 1810 in Prince Edward County , Virginia , † January 12, 1881 in Ellicott City , Maryland ) was an American politician and Governor of the state of Maryland from 1854 to 1858 . Between 1845 and 1849 he represented his state in the US House of Representatives .

Early years

Thomas Ligon attended Hampden-Sydney College until 1830 and then the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for a year . After studying law at Yale University , he was admitted to the bar in 1833. He then worked as a lawyer in Baltimore and other cities in Maryland until 1853 .

Political rise

Ligon was a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1843 and 1845 he sat in the Maryland House of Representatives , from 1845 to 1849 he served two terms in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC There, under President James K. Polk , he witnessed the outbreak of the Mexican-American War and the annexation of the Republic of Texas as well other large areas in the southwest of what is now the United States. After the end of his time in Congress , Ligon was again active as a lawyer before he was elected as his party's candidate for the new governor of his state on November 2, 1853. Ligon was the first Maryland governor elected under the new constitution passed in 1851. This provided for four-year terms for the governor, while the old constitution stipulated three-year terms.

Governor of maryland

Thomas Ligon took up his new office on January 11, 1854. His tenure was overshadowed by political disputes not only nationally between the Northern and Southern states, but also within Maryland. There Ligon had to deal with an opposition majority in the legislature. After irregularities in local elections in Baltimore, civil unrest broke out in that city. Politically, this matter culminated in an open dispute between Governor Ligon and Thomas Swann , the mayor of Baltimore, who would later become governor.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Ligon retired from the public service. He later served as President of the Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott City. Ex-Governor Ligon died in January 1881. He was married twice and had three children.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Ligon, Thomas Watkins
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician, governor of Maryland
DATE OF BIRTH	May 10, 1810
PLACE OF BIRTH	Prince Edward County , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH	January 12, 1881
Place of death	Ellicott City , Maryland