Thomas Kirker

Thomas Kirker

Thomas Kirker (* approx. 1760 in County Tyrone , Ireland ; † February 20, 1837 in Adams County Ohio ) was an American politician and from 1807 to 1808 the second governor of the state of Ohio.

Early years and political advancement

Thomas Kirker attended local schools in his homeland in Ireland. In 1779 he emigrated to the United States with his parents. The family initially settled in Lancaster , Pennsylvania . About Kentucky he came in 1793 to Adams County in what was then the Northwest Territory . There he worked as a farmer.

Kirker's political rise began in 1797 as a justice of the peace in his district. In 1802 he was a delegate to the Ohio Constituent Assembly. In 1802 he was elected to the first Ohio House of Representatives. Just one year later he became a member of the State Senate , to which he was to belong between 1803 and 1815. In the meantime he was also President of this body. When the incumbent Governor Edward Tiffin resigned in March 1807 to take his seat in the United States Senate , Kirker had to take over as President of the Senate.

Governor of ohio

Kirker was Governor of Ohio from March 4, 1807 to December 12, 1808. During this time, protecting the white population from Indian attacks was an important issue. To this end, the governor had to mobilize the militia. But then the threat turned out to be a false alarm because the Indians had only peaceful intentions. Actually, Kirker's term of office should have ended in 1807. But the candidate Return J. Meigs , elected in October 1807, turned out to be ineligible because he had lived in Ohio for less than four years. Therefore, the state parliament extended Kirker's term of office by one year. In the next election in 1808, Kirker was re-elected. In total, there were three candidates in this election, all of whom belonged to the Democratic-Republican Party . Kirker only finished third and last. So he resigned on December 12, 1808 from his office.

Another résumé

Kirker's tomb in Adams County

After his election defeat, Kirker remained a member of the Ohio Senate until 1815. Between 1816 and 1817 he was again in the House of Representatives from Ohio, which he temporarily chaired as speaker ; In 1821 he was a judge at an appeals court. Between 1821 and 1825 he ended his political membership with a renewed membership in the State Senate. In the presidential election of 1824 he was one of Henry Clay's electors . He then retired to his Adams County farm, where he died in 1837. Thomas Kirker was married to Sara Smith, who died in 1824, with whom he had six children.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 3, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Thomas Kirker in the National Governors Association (English)
• Thomas Kirker in the Ohio Historical Society (English)

• Thomas Kirker in the database of Find a Grave (English)