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Charles Thomas (governor)
Encyclopedia
Charles Thomas was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.
, New Castle County, Delaware, son of Charles & Susanna McCallmont Thomas. His father was an elder of the New Castle Presbyterian Church and President of the New Castle Turnpike Company. Charles, Jr. married Eliza Stoops and they had one child, Eliza. The lived at the "Thomas House" at the corner of Harmony Street and the Strand, now the Parish House of Immanuel Episcopal Church. They were members of New Castle Presbyterian Church.
There are no known records showing the fate of Thomas' wife, Eliza. What is known is that his daughter Eliza was cared for by Dr. John Rumsey of Wilmington
until she was about 10 years old, and then moved in with Thomas' sister Sally who was married to William T. Read, his college roommate, and grandson of George Read
, the Signer. William and Sally resided at the Thomas House, and donated it to the Episcopal Church.
and studied law with George Read, Jr. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1813 and began the practice of law at New Castle. He served in the 1818 session of the State House, and the 1822 and 1823 session of the State Senate. Since he was the Speaker in the 1823 session, he succeeded to the office of Governor upon the death of Governor Joseph Haslet
. He then served as Governor of Delaware from June 24, 1823 until January 20, 1824.
Thomas continued the advocacy of several other Governors on behalf of improved public education. As told by Carol Hoffecker in Democracy in Delaware, "'In these portentous times,' remarked Governor Thomas in 1824, 'it seems rather a hazardous experiment to permit one generation to sleep in ignorance.' He advocated a special school tax, which he promised 'would be a blessing to the people...for it would...relieve them of the most intolerable of all burdens, the burdens of immorality and ignorance. 'In vain,' he said, 'do we boast of our elective franchise, and our civil rights, if a large portion of our citizens are unable to read the tickets which they annually present at the polls. Such men may think themselves free, but in fact they are slaves.... If education is confined to the rich,' he warned, 'the few will govern.'" By refusing to raise taxes or surrender local control, the General Assembly again failed to act.
Thomas was also an advocate for penal reform. Again from Hoffecker, Thomas "noted without pride that 'the penal laws of this State are much severer than those of any State in the Union." Arguing against imprisonment for debt, he said "An opinion seems to pervade the community that our poor houses...are rather nurseries for vice than asylums for the helpless."
For now, this request received no response.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1823
|47th
|
| |Republican
| |vacant
|
| |Republican
| |George Clark, Jr.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|State Representative
|Legislature
|Dover
|January 6, 1818
|January 5, 1819
|
|-
|State Senator
|Legislature
|Dover
|January 1, 1822
|June 24, 1823
|Speaker
|-
|Governor
|Executive
|Dover
|June 24, 1823
|January 20, 1824
|Acting
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1818
|42nd
|State House
|Federalist
|John Clark
|
|New Castle at-large
|-
|1822
|46th
|State Senate
|Federalist
|John Collins
|
|New Castle at-large
|-
|1823
|47th
|State Senate
|Federalist
|Joseph Haslet
|
|New Castle at-large
Early life and family
Thomas was born at Dragon Neck in Red Lion HundredRed Lion Hundred
Red Lion Hundred is the name of an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly, and while their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they presently have no meaningful use or purpose...
, New Castle County, Delaware, son of Charles & Susanna McCallmont Thomas. His father was an elder of the New Castle Presbyterian Church and President of the New Castle Turnpike Company. Charles, Jr. married Eliza Stoops and they had one child, Eliza. The lived at the "Thomas House" at the corner of Harmony Street and the Strand, now the Parish House of Immanuel Episcopal Church. They were members of New Castle Presbyterian Church.
There are no known records showing the fate of Thomas' wife, Eliza. What is known is that his daughter Eliza was cared for by Dr. John Rumsey of Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
until she was about 10 years old, and then moved in with Thomas' sister Sally who was married to William T. Read, his college roommate, and grandson of George Read
George Read (signer)
George Read was an American lawyer and politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of Delaware, and a member of the...
, the Signer. William and Sally resided at the Thomas House, and donated it to the Episcopal Church.
Professional and political career
Thomas attended Princeton CollegePrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and studied law with George Read, Jr. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1813 and began the practice of law at New Castle. He served in the 1818 session of the State House, and the 1822 and 1823 session of the State Senate. Since he was the Speaker in the 1823 session, he succeeded to the office of Governor upon the death of Governor Joseph Haslet
Joseph Haslet
Joseph Haslet was an American planter and politician from Cedar Creek Village in Cedar Creek Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served twice as Governor of Delaware....
. He then served as Governor of Delaware from June 24, 1823 until January 20, 1824.
Thomas continued the advocacy of several other Governors on behalf of improved public education. As told by Carol Hoffecker in Democracy in Delaware, "'In these portentous times,' remarked Governor Thomas in 1824, 'it seems rather a hazardous experiment to permit one generation to sleep in ignorance.' He advocated a special school tax, which he promised 'would be a blessing to the people...for it would...relieve them of the most intolerable of all burdens, the burdens of immorality and ignorance. 'In vain,' he said, 'do we boast of our elective franchise, and our civil rights, if a large portion of our citizens are unable to read the tickets which they annually present at the polls. Such men may think themselves free, but in fact they are slaves.... If education is confined to the rich,' he warned, 'the few will govern.'" By refusing to raise taxes or surrender local control, the General Assembly again failed to act.
Thomas was also an advocate for penal reform. Again from Hoffecker, Thomas "noted without pride that 'the penal laws of this State are much severer than those of any State in the Union." Arguing against imprisonment for debt, he said "An opinion seems to pervade the community that our poor houses...are rather nurseries for vice than asylums for the helpless."
For now, this request received no response.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1823
|47th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
| |vacant
|
| |Republican
Democratic-Republican Party (United States)
The Democratic-Republican Party or Republican Party was an American political party founded in the early 1790s by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Political scientists use the former name, while historians prefer the latter one; contemporaries generally called the party the "Republicans", along...
| |George Clark, Jr.
Death and legacy
Thomas died at New Castle and is buried there at the Presbyterian Cemetery. There is no known portrait of Charles Thomas.Almanac
Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State Senators had a three year term and State Representatives had a one year term. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and had a three year term.{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|State Representative
Delaware House of Representatives
The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly; the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal amount of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two year term. The Delaware General Assembly...
|Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 6, 1818
|January 5, 1819
|
|-
|State Senator
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 1, 1822
|June 24, 1823
|Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
|-
|Governor
|Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|June 24, 1823
|January 20, 1824
|Acting
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1818
|42nd
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|State House
Delaware House of Representatives
The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly; the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal amount of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two year term. The Delaware General Assembly...
|Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|John Clark
John Clark (governor)
John Clark was an American farmer and politician from Blackbird Hundred in New Castle County, Delaware, near Smyrna...
|
|New Castle at-large
New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...
|-
|1822
|46th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|State Senate
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|John Collins
John Collins (governor)
John Collins was an American manufacturer and politician from Collins Mill Pond, in Nanticoke Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware...
|
|New Castle at-large
New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...
|-
|1823
|47th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|State Senate
Delaware Senate
The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at which time Senators may be elected to a two-year term....
|Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
|Joseph Haslet
Joseph Haslet
Joseph Haslet was an American planter and politician from Cedar Creek Village in Cedar Creek Hundred, Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served twice as Governor of Delaware....
|
|New Castle at-large
New Castle County, Delaware
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of...
External links
- Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
- Delaware’s Governors
- Find a Grave
- The Political Graveyard
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical SocietyDelaware Historical SocietyThe Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...
; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 - University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965