John Milton Thayer

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For other people with the same name, see John Thayer.

John M. Thayer
Phineas W. Hitchcock
Personal details
Born(1820-01-24)January 24, 1820
Union Army
Years of service1861–1865
RankBrigadier General
Brevet Major General
Commands
  • 1st Nebraska Infantry
  • District of the Frontier
  • District of Eastern Arkansas
Battles/wars
Indian Wars

American Civil War

John Milton Thayer (January 24, 1820 – March 19, 1906) was a general in the

Governor of Nebraska
.

Early life

Thayer was born in

West. He was married to Mary Torrey Allen on December 27, 1842, and they had six children.[1]

Career

Arriving in Nebraska in 1854, Thayer quickly affiliated himself with the Republican Party and actively participated in politics, as well as owning a large farm near Omaha.

In 1855 he was appointed major general of the Territorial Militia.[2] In June of the same year, at the direction of Acting Nebraska Territorial Governor Thomas B. Cuming, he led a council with Pawnee chiefs near present-day Leshara, Nebraska.[3] The chiefs were led by Pitalesharo, the town's namesake.[4] Local Pawnee had conducted a series of raids on local settlers and Thayer meant to calm the situation. The general gained a reputation as an Indian fighter throughout the 1850s, eventually culminating with the so-called Pawnee War of 1859.

Thayer served as delegate to the 1860 State Constitution Convention which organized the Republican Party in the Nebraska Territory. He was elected to the Nebraska Territorial Legislature in 1860.[2] While in the legislature, he introduced a bill to abolish slavery in Nebraska Territory.[5]

Civil War

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Thayer wrote a letter to

Fort Hindman and the siege of Vicksburg
.

The 1st Nebraska provided support and refuge for freedom seekers escaping from enslavers. Thayer's home in Lincoln, Nebraska is listed on the

National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.[6]

Thayer was then assigned to the

District of the Frontier with his headquarters in Fort Smith, Arkansas. He participated in the Camden Expedition and other actions in the region, seeing considerable action at the Battle of Prairie D'Ane. He commanded the rearguard of Frederick Steele's force at the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry, battling Confederate troops under Sterling Price
for over four hours before forcing Price to disengage. His delaying action enabled Steele to successfully extricate his army to safety.

In February 1865, Thayer was relieved of command of Fort Smith and sent to the smaller post at St. Charles, Arkansas, with a regiment of Kansas cavalry and a single artillery battery. However, with the omnibus promotions of leading generals at the close of the war, Thayer was brevetted major general of volunteers in 1865.

Postbellum career

After the Civil War, Thayer served as a member of the 1866 State Constitutional Convention. Upon the admission of Nebraska into the Union as a state, he was elected as one of its first two United States senators. He served as a member of the Senate from 1867 to 1871,[2] when he was unsuccessful in winning reelection.

President

Governor of the Territory of Wyoming
in February 1875 and he took the oath of office March 1, 1875. His service ended on May 29, 1878, and he returned to Nebraska to resume his law practice.

In 1886, Thayer secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination and was elected

Governor of Nebraska by popular vote. He served two full terms as Governor of Nebraska, from 1887 to 1892. He was the sixth governor of Nebraska.[2]

After

United States Supreme Court, and it was argued on December 8, 1891.[9] On February 1, 1892, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Boyd was eligible, and thus he took the office back from Thayer on February 8, 1892, and served out the remainder of his term.[9][10]
Thayer then retired from public life to follow literary pursuits.

Death and legacy

Thayer's grave at Wyuka Cemetery

John M. Thayer died at his home in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 19, 1906, and was buried in Wyuka Cemetery.[11]

Thayer County, Nebraska, is named for Thayer.[12] A bust of Thayer is located on the grounds of the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi. The bust was erected in May 1915 and was sculpted by T.A.R. Kitson.[13]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780403098347
    . Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Nebraska Governor John Milton Thayer". National Governors Association. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Curtis, Earl G. (1947). John Milton Thayer (PDF). pp. 228–230. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "Historic Spot Immortalized". The Columbus Telegram. Columbus, NE. June 2, 1905. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". nps.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Historic home linked to underground railroad. Retrieved May 8, 2024 – via www.youtube.com.
  7. ISBN 9780930466008
    . Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  8. ^ "John Milton Thayer". National Governors Association. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Boyd v. Nebraska ex rel. Thayer, 143 U.S. 135 (Supreme Court of the United States February 1, 1892).
  10. ^ "James E. Boyd". National Governors Association. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  11. The Lincoln Star
    . March 20, 1906. p. 5. Retrieved March 9, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Profile for Thayer County, Nebraska, NE". ePodunk. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  13. ^ "Brigadier General John M. Thayer". National Park Service. Retrieved October 30, 2012.

Further reading

  • American National Biography
  • Dictionary of American Biography
  • Curtis, Earl G. John Milton Thayer Nebraska History 29 (March/June 1948): 134-50.
  • Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964,
    ISBN 0-8071-0822-7
    .
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Milton Thayer.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Governor of Nebraska

1886, 1888 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
None
Thomas W. Tipton
 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Governor of Wyoming Territory

1875–1878 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Governor of Nebraska

1887–1892 		Succeeded by

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

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