Thomas Holliday Hicks

Thomas Holliday Hicks

Thomas Holliday Hicks (born September 2, 1798 in Dorchester County , Maryland , † February 14, 1865 in Washington DC ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Maryland from 1858 to 1862 . Between 1862 and 1865 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

Thomas Hicks attended local schools in his homeland. After first trying his hand at trading and boating, he turned to politics. In 1824 he became a sheriff in Dorchester County. Between 1829 and 1830 and again in 1836 he was a member of the Maryland House of Representatives . Originally he was a member of the Democratic Party . In the 1830s, however, he joined the Whig Party .

Between 1837 and 1838, Hicks served on the governor's council of Maryland. From 1838 to 1851 and between 1855 and 1858 he was an executor ( Register of wills ) in Dorchester County. From 1850 to 1851 he was a delegate to a meeting to revise the Maryland constitution. In the 1850s, he changed his party affiliation again by converting to the so-called Know-Nothing Party . As a candidate for this party, he was elected the new governor of his state on November 4, 1857. According to his own admission, he owes the election victory mainly to the propaganda work of Anna E. Carroll . The elections were also overshadowed by irregularities, violence and attempts at intimidation and were soon suspected of fraud. But they were still declared valid.

Governor of maryland

Thomas Hicks took up his new office on January 13, 1858. In the run-up to the Civil War , Maryland, a border state between the north and the south, led to hard clashes between the two parties. Governor Hicks supported the slave owners and was against the abolitionists. But he was also against dissolving the Union. As a result, the state of Maryland remained with the northern states, even if Hicks would have preferred a neutral path. A connection to the south would have meant the inclusion of the federal capital Washington DC. Riots ensued in Maryland. Many supporters of the south tried to stop or hinder the marching through troops of the Union. As a result, Maryland was militarily occupied by the Union Army . Governor Hicks remained in office until the end of his term on January 8, 1862.

Unlike Hicks, his successor, Augustus Bradford, was a staunch supporter of the Union.

Hicks in the US Senate

After the death of US Senator James Pearce , Hicks was appointed his successor in Congress . He took up his new office in the Class 3 Senator category on December 29, 1862. Despite his poor health in the meantime, he was re-elected after the end of the legislature. In 1864, Hicks, who had since become a Republican member, supported Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election . Thomas Hicks retained his senatorial office until his death on February 14, 1865. John Angel James Creswell succeeded him in the Senate. President Lincoln attended the Senate memorial service. Thomas Hicks was married three times and had a total of five children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Thomas Hicks in the National Governors Association (English)
• Thomas Holliday Hicks in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Thomas Holliday Hicks in the database of Find a Grave (English)