Philip F. Thomas

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Philip Francis Thomas

Philip Francis Thomas (born September 12, 1810 in Easton , Maryland , † October 2, 1890 ibid) was an American politician , governor of Maryland , US Treasury Secretary and represented the state of Maryland several times in the US House of Representatives .

Political career

Advance to governor of Maryland

After school he graduated in law and was in 1831 as a lawyer admitted. He began his political career in 1836 when he was elected delegate to the Constituent Assembly of Maryland. In 1838 he was elected to the Maryland House of Representatives. He held this mandate again from 1843 to 1848. From January 3, 1848 to January 6, 1851 he was the successor to Thomas Pratt Governor of Maryland . He then became Comptroller of Maryland and was thus Treasury Secretary of the state government under his successor Enoch Louis Lowe until 1853 . From 1863 to 1867 he was again a member of the House of Representatives. After his defeat in the Senate election in 1878, he again ran successfully for the state parliament in 1878 and 1883. After his final withdrawal from politics, he worked as a lawyer in his hometown until his death.

Congressman and Senator

In 1839 Thomas became a member of the US House of Representatives . There he represented the interests of the Democratic Party in the second congressional electoral district of Maryland until 1841 . In 1840 he decided against a second candidacy and initially resumed his work as a lawyer. The Maryland Parliament elected him for the six-year term beginning March 4, 1867 in the United States Senate, but the Senate declined to accept him because he had supported the southern rebellion. The seat therefore remained vacant for a year until George Vickers was elected in 1868 . From December 6, 1875 to March 3, 1877 Thomas was again a member of the House of Representatives, but turned down a new candidacy in 1876 to run again as Senator for Congress . After the election defeat, he withdrew from national politics and returned to Maryland.

Raised finance minister under President Buchanan

From 1853 to February 1860 he was harbor master of the port of Baltimore , one of the largest seaports in the United States. He had previously turned down President Franklin Pierce's offer to take over the Department of the Navy . After he turned down the office of governor in the Utah Territory , he became head of the US Patent Office ( US Commissioner of Patents ) for ten months .

Portrait of Philip F. Thomas in the Treasury

On December 14, 1860, President James Buchanan appointed him to succeed Howell Cobb as Treasury Secretary. However , he was reluctant to take up the post in Buchanan's cabinet . Shortly after taking office, he had to issue a loan in order to be able to pay the interest on the national debt. However, the economic situation was already very bad and the different attitudes of the southern and northern states were palpable. The banks in the northern states , however, refused to invest in the bond because they feared an outflow of money to the southern states . After just 32 days, Thomas handed over his position to the previous postmaster of New York City , John Adams Dix .

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Thomas, Philip F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Thomas, Philip Francis (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Politician, Maryland Governor, Senator and Secretary of the Treasury
DATE OF BIRTH September 12, 1810
PLACE OF BIRTH Easton , Maryland
DATE OF DEATH October 2, 1890
Place of death Easton , Maryland