Gideon Tomlinson

Gideon Tomlinson
United States Senator
from Connecticut
In office
March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1837
Preceded by Calvin Willey
Succeeded by Perry Smith
25th Governor of Connecticut
In office
May 2, 1827 – March 2, 1831
Lieutenant John Samuel Peters
Preceded by Oliver Wolcott, Jr.
Succeeded by John Samuel Peters
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large district
In office
March 4, 1819 – March 3, 1827
Preceded by Thomas S. Williams
Succeeded by David Plant
Personal details
Born (1780-12-31)December 31, 1780
Stratford, Connecticut
Died October 8, 1854(1854-10-08) (aged 73)
Fairfield, Connecticut
Political party National Republican
Spouse(s) Sarah Bradley Tomlinson, Lydia Ann Wells Wright Tomlinson
Children Jabez Huntington Tomlinson
Profession lawyer, politician
Religion Congregationist

Gideon Tomlinson (December 31, 1780 – October 8, 1854) was a United States Senator, United States Representative, and the 25th Governor for the state of Connecticut.

Biography

Born in Stratford,[1] Tomlinson completed preparatory studies and graduated from Yale College in 1802.[2] He went to Virginia for a year to be a private tutor and to study law. When he returned to Fairfield he continued his studies and was admitted to the bar in 1807. That same year he married Sarah Bradley. He received a Master of Arts, in 1808 from Yale. Their only child, Jabez Huntington Tomlinson, was born in 1818 but died at the young age of 19 in 1838. Mrs. Tomlinson died in 1842. In 1846, Gideon married Mrs. Lydia Ann Wells Wright, widow of William Wright of Bridgeport, Connecticut.[3]

Career

Tomlinson entered politics in 1817, as clerk of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and was reelected again in 1818, when he served as speaker. He was Delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1818.

Elected to the Sixteenth and to the three succeeding United States Congresses, Tomlinson served as a Representative from March 4, 1819 to March 3, 1827, and was chairman of the Committee on Commerce (Nineteenth Congress).[4]

Winning the 1826 gubernatorial nomination, Tomlinson was elected Connecticut's eighth governor. He was reelected to the governor's office in 1827, 1828, 1829, and 1830. During his tenure, prison reform was accomplished in 1827 with the opening of a more civilized penitentiary. His administration advocated educational improvements and fiscal support to the public school system. On March 2, 1831, Tomlinson resigned from office to accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate.[5]

Tomlinson served in the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1837. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Pensions (Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses).[4] In 1837, he left the Senate and became the first President of the newly chartered Housatonic Railroad Company.

He was a trustee of Trinity College, then retired to private life.

Death and legacy

Tomlinson died in Fairfield on October 8, 1854. He is interred at the Old Congregational Cemetery, Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.[6] The Tomlinson Bridge (built 1796-98) of Fair Haven (part of New Haven) Connecticut is named after him. The Tomlinson Middle School in Fairfield is named in his honor.

References

  1. ↑ "Gideon Tomlinson". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "Gideon Tomlinson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Gideon Tomlinson". Connecticut State Library. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Gideon Tomlinson". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Gideon Tomlinson". National Governors Association. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Gideon Tomlinson". Find A Grave. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
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United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Thomas Scott Williams		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Connecticut's at-large congressional district
1819–1827 		Succeeded by
David Plant
Political offices
Preceded by
Oliver Wolcott, Jr.		 Governor of Connecticut
1827–1831 		Succeeded by
John Samuel Peters
United States Senate
Preceded by
Calvin Willey		 U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Connecticut
1831–1837
Served alongside: Samuel A. Foote, Nathan Smith, John M. Niles		 Succeeded by
Perry Smith
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