Thomas Downing (athlete)
Thomas Downing may be: *Thomas Downing (restaurateur) (1791–1866), American abolitionist and restaurateur *Thomas Downing (painter) (1928–1985), American painter *Thomas N. Downing Thomas Nelms Downing (February 1, 1919 – October 23, 2001) was a lawyer, politician, and Democratic Congressman from for nine terms. Biography Downing was born and raised in Newport News, Virginia. He attended Newport News High School, and ...

Thomas Downing (restaurateur)
Thomas Downing (1791–1866) was an American restaurateur and abolitionist active in New York City during the Victorian era who was nicknamed the "New York Oyster King". He was one of the wealthiest people in New York City at the time of his death, though he spent his life being prohibited from acquiring U.S. citizenship until the Civil Rights Act of 1866 was passed, the day before he died. Early family life Thomas Downing was born in Chesapeake Bay on Chincoteague Island, Virginia. His parents were enslaved, and eventually freed, by Sea Captain John Downing after learning that owning slaves was not condoned by the Methodist Church. They adopted the name "Downing" as their own and began working as paid caretakers of Captain Downing's Methodist Meeting House. Eventually, they bought some property on the Island and the family began earning extra money by gathering and selling oysters, as well as other seafood, such as clams and fish. Thomas was raised alongside his wealthy neighb ...
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Thomas Downing (painter)
Thomas Downing (1928–1985) was an American painter, associated with the Washington Color Field Movement, which also featured Sam Gilliam, Kenneth Noland, Howard Mehring, Alma Thomas, and Paul Reed. Life and work Thomas Downing was born in Suffolk, Virginia. He studied at Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948. He then studied at the Pratt Institute, a well-known art school in Brooklyn, New York, until 1950. That year he received a grant from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, enabling him to travel to Europe, where he studied briefly at the Académie Julian in Paris. In 1951 he returned to the United States, and after serving in the U.S. Army, settled in Washington, D.C., where he began to teach, in 1953. The following summer, he enrolled in a summer institute at Catholic University, studying under Kenneth Noland. He became a friend of Noland, who became a significant influence on Downing's art and who was one ...
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