Thomas Worthington (governor)
Thomas Worthington | |
---|---|
Return J. Meigs, Jr. | |
Succeeded by | Joseph Kerr |
In office April 1, 1803 – March 3, 1807 | |
Preceded by | Inaugural holder |
Succeeded by | Edward Tiffin |
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the Ross County district | |
In office 1803–1803 | |
Preceded by | New district |
Succeeded by | William Creighton, Jr. James Dunlap John Evans Elias Langham |
In office 1807–1808 | |
Preceded by | James Dunlap Nathaniel Massie David Shelby Abraham J. Williams |
Succeeded by | District eliminated |
In office 1821–1823 | |
Preceded by | John Bailhache John Entrekin William Vance |
Succeeded by | George Nashee Allison C. Looker Edward King |
In office 1824–1825 | |
Preceded by | George Nashee Allison C. Looker Edward King |
Succeeded by | Isaac Cook Edward King |
Personal details | |
Born | near Democratic-Republican | July 16, 1773
Relatives | Jane T. Worthington (daughter-in-law) |
Residence | Adena Mansion |
Signature | |
Thomas Worthington (July 16, 1773 – June 20, 1827) was an American politician who served as the sixth
Early life
Worthington was born in Berkeley County near Charles Town in the Colony of Virginia.[1] In 1796, he married a Virginia woman, Eleanor Swearingen, who joined him in emigrating to Ross County, Ohio, where they emancipated their slaves. The home they eventually built just outside Chillicothe was called Adena and is the namesake of the Adena culture.[citation needed] The first of their ten children, daughter Mary, married David Macomb, a future leader of the Texas Revolution. Their first son, James, graduated from West Point, held the rank of Brigadier General in the Ohio Militia, and later fought in the Mexican-American and Civil Wars.
Career
He served in the Territorial House of Representatives from 1799 to 1803 and served as a
Worthington was elected one of Ohio's first
He platted what would become the city of Logan, Ohio in 1816.[4]
In January 1819, when the election was held to replace the retiring Jeremiah Morrow in the Senate, he held the lead through the first three ballots, only losing when factions aligned behind William A. Trimble on the fourth and final ballot.[5] He narrowly lost a bid for a partial term in the Senate in 1821, losing to the incumbent governor, Ethan Allen Brown, and so he instead returned to the Ohio House of Representatives.
After being the runner-up in the 1808[6] and 1810[7] gubernatorial elections, he won the 1814[8] and 1816 elections[9] by landslide margins. Both times he nearly reached three-quarters of the vote. After two terms he stepped down as governor.
Death
Worthington was initially buried at his estate in Adena, and was later interred at
Legacy
Worthington is a member of the Ohio Hall Of Fame. The city of Worthington, Ohio, was named in Worthington's honor, as was Thomas Worthington High School.
Worthington is known as the "Father of the Ohio statehood".[10]
References
- ISBN 0-8142-0745-6.
- Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications. V: 131–132.
- ^ "Thomas Worthington." Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Biography in Context. Web. January 13, 2016.
- ^ "Hocking County / 1-37 Thomas Worthington Founder of Logan - Remarkable Ohio". www.remarkableohio.org.
- ^ The "Old Northwest" Genealogical Quarterly. April 1903. Page 34.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OH Governor Race - Oct 11, 1808". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OH Governor Race - Oct 09, 1810". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OH Governor Race - Oct 11, 1814". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - OH Governor Race - Oct 08, 1816". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ "Grandview Cemetery". Grandview Cemetery. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
Sources
- United States Congress. "Thomas Worthington (id: W000750)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787–1825
- Sears, Alfred Byron, Thomas Worthington, father of Ohio statehood, Ohio State University Press for the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH [1958] Full text here Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine