Thomas Settle was an American judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

.

Born in Rockingham County, North Carolina

Rockingham County, North Carolina

Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 93,643. Its county seat is Wentworth.- History :The county was formed in 1785 from Guilford County...

, Settle received a A.B.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 from the University of North Carolina

University of North Carolina

Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...

 in 1850 and read law to enter the bar in 1854. He was a private secretary to North Carolina Governor David S. Reid from 1850 to 1854, thereafter entering private practice in Rockingham County. He was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

 before and after the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. First elected to the state's House in 1854, in 1858 to 1859, Settle served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Commons, like his father before him. He was in private practice of law in North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 from 1860 to 1861, and was a solicitor for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of North Carolina in 1861. Before the outbreak of the Civil War, Settle was a pro-Union, pro-Stephen A. Douglas

Stephen A. Douglas

Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...

 Democrat. During the Civil War, Settle served in the Confederate

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 army as a Captain, from 1861 to 1862. He returned to his solicitorship from 1862 to 1868, and was a member and of the North Carolina State Senate from 1865 to 1868. In 1865–1866, Settle, who became one of the founders of the state's Republican party, served as Speaker of the North Carolina Senate. From 1868 to 1871, Settle served as an Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

North Carolina Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...

, before he was appointed U.S. Minister to Peru

United States Ambassador to Peru

The following is a list of United States Ambassadors, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Peru. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.-See also:...

. In 1872, he returned to the state supreme court, and he presided over the 1872 Republican National Convention

1872 Republican National Convention

At the 1872 Republican National Convention the Republicans renominated incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant but nominated a new Vice-Presidential candidate, Henry Wilson. Others, who had grown weary of the corruption of the Grant administration, bolted to form the Liberal Republican Party, which...

. In 1876, he was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for Governor of North Carolina

Governor of North Carolina

The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...

, losing to former Governor Zebulon B. Vance.

His father was also named Thomas Settle, as was his son, Thomas Settle. Both his father and his son served in the U.S. Congress.

On January 26, 1877, Settle was nominated by President Ulysses Grant to a seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida is the federal United States district court with jurisdiction over the northern part of the state of Florida....

 vacated by Philip Fraser

Philip Fraser

Philip Fraser was a United States federal judge.Born in Montrose, Pennsylvania, Fraser was an attorney in private practice, Jacksonville, Florida, and was mayor of Jacksonville from 1855 to 1856....

. Settle was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on January 30, 1877, and received commission the same day, serving thereafter until his death, in 1888, in Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

.

Sources