Thomas Flournoy Foster

Thomas Flournoy Foster (born November 23, 1790 in Greensboro , Greene County , Georgia , †  September 14, 1848 in Columbus , Georgia) was an American politician . Between 1829 and 1843 he represented the state of Georgia in the US House of Representatives twice .

Career

Thomas Foster attended Franklin College after elementary school until 1812 . After a subsequent law degree at Litchfield Law School and his admission to the bar in 1816, he began to work in Greensboro in his new profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career. Between 1822 and 1825, Foster was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives . At that time he was a supporter of the future President Andrew Jackson , whose Democratic Party, founded in 1828, he joined.

In the state-wide held congressional election of 1828 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC for the second mandate of Georgia , where he succeeded John Floyd on March 4, 1829 . After two re-elections, he was able to complete three legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1835 . These were overshadowed by the discussions about the policy of President Jackson, who had also been in office since March 4, 1829. It was about the controversial implementation of the Indian Removal Act , the nullification crisis with the state of South Carolina and the banking policy of the president. From 1833 to 1835 Foster was chairman of the legal committee.

In the 1834 election, Foster was not confirmed. As early as 1833 he was a delegate to a meeting to revise the state constitution of Georgia. In 1835 Thomas Foster moved to Columbus, where he worked as a lawyer. During this time he switched to the Whig Party . He then became a delegate at a nomination convention of his party in Tuscaloosa , where he supported William Henry Harrison's campaign for the presidential nomination.

In the congressional elections of 1840 Foster was a candidate of his new party in the second constituency elected by Georgia in the US House of Representatives. There he replaced Edward Junius Black on March 4, 1841 . Until 1843 he was able to spend another legislative period in Congress. This was determined by the discussions about a possible annexation of the Republic of Texas , which had been independent of Mexico since 1836 . There were also strong tensions inside and outside of Congress between the Whig Party and the new President John Tyler , who was actually also a member of the Whigs, but was moving closer and closer to the Democrats.

After his final departure from Congress, Thomas Foster retired from politics. He died on September 14, 1848 in Columbus and was buried there.

Web links

• Thomas Flournoy Foster in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Thomas Flournoy Foster in the database of Find a Grave (English)