Thomas Irwin (American politician)

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Thomas Irwin
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
In office
April 14, 1831 – January 4, 1859
Appointed byAndrew Jackson
Preceded byWilliam Wilkins
Succeeded byWilson McCandless
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 14th district
In office
March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831
Preceded byAndrew Stewart
Succeeded byAndrew Stewart
Personal details
Born
Thomas Irwin

(1785-02-22)February 22, 1785
read law

Thomas Irwin (February 22, 1785 – May 14, 1870) was a

.

Education and career

Born on February 22, 1785, in

read law in 1808.[1] He was editor of the Philadelphia Repository starting in 1804.[1] He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1808, and from 1811 to 1812.[1] He was an Indian agent in Natchitoches, Louisiana from 1808 to 1810, also practicing law at that location.[1] He was deputy attorney general for Fayette County, Pennsylvania from 1812 to 1819.[1] He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Fayette County from 1824 to 1828.[1]

Congressional service

Irwin was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat from Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 21st United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831.[2] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1830.[2]

Federal judicial service

Irwin received a recess appointment from President Andrew Jackson on April 14, 1831, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania vacated by Judge William Wilkins.[1] He was nominated to the same position by President Jackson on December 7, 1831.[1] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 21, 1832, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on January 4, 1859, due to his resignation.[1]

Circumstances of his resignation

On January 13, 1859, the

United States Marshal for the Western District of Pennsylvania kick-back a portion of his salary and fees to the Judge. Irwin was also detested by the anti-slavery bar of Western Pennsylvania for the maintenance of the constitutionality of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. In the face of almost certain impeachment, Irwin resigned.[3]

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Irwin resumed private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1859 to 1870.[1] He died on May 14, 1870, in Pittsburgh.[1] He was interred in Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Thomas Irwin at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  2. ^ a b c United States Congress. "Thomas Irwin (id: I000043)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  3. ^ "Why Judges Resign: Influences on Federal Judicial Service, 1789 to 1992 - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.

Sources

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district

1829–1831
Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
1831–1859
Succeeded by