Allen Granberry Thurman (November 13, 1813 – December 12, 1895), sometimes erroneously spelled Allan Granberry Thurman, was a
Democratic U.S. representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...
,
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
justice, and
Senator from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
in
1888
In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...
. He ended up losing the election.
Born in
Lynchburg, Virginia, he and his family moved to
Chillicothe, Ohio, when Thurman was young. Thurman established a legal practice in Chillicothe with his uncle,
William Allen William Allen may refer to:
Politicians
United States
*William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio
*William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio
*William ...
, who later represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate. Thurman won election to the House of Representatives in 1844, becoming the youngest member of that body. He supported the
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
administration during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
and voted for the
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the ...
, which would have banned
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
from any territory gained from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. He served a single term in the House before joining the Supreme Court of Ohio. He won election to the Senate in 1869, becoming an opponent to the Republican
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
policy. He actively campaigned against African-American voting rights and worked to reverse the civil rights advances of Reconstruction. He offered an amendment to continue to
segregate public schools in the District of Columbia. During the disputed
1876 presidential election, Thurman helped establish the
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
. Thurman lost re-election in 1881 as the Republicans had won control of the Ohio legislature.
Thurman was a "
favorite son
Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term.
* At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a ...
" candidate for president in 1880 and 1884. The
1888 Democratic National Convention selected him as President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
's
running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...
, as Vice President
Thomas A. Hendricks had died in office. The aging Thurman did not actively campaign and the Democratic ticket was defeated.
Early years
Allen Granberry Thurman was born in
Lynchburg, Virginia, to Pleasant Thurman and Mary Granberry Allen Thurman. Both of his parents were
teachers
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. wh ...
; his father also a
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
minister. In 1815, his parents
emancipated their slaves and moved to
Chillicothe, Ohio. He attended Chillicothe Academy, an academy run by his mother, and then studied law as an apprentice to his uncle,
William Allen William Allen may refer to:
Politicians
United States
*William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio
*William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio
*William ...
(who later became a senator from Ohio). At the age of eighteen, Thurman worked on a land survey, and at twenty-one became private secretary to the
Governor of Ohio,
Robert Lucas. In 1835 he was admitted to the Ohio bar and became his uncle's law partner. In 1837 his uncle entered the Senate.
Career in government
Congressman
The same year he was elected to the House of Representatives as its youngest member. He generally supported the majority of the Democrats on all issues except
internal improvements
Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canal ...
, on which he tended to vote with the
Whigs. He supported the
Polk
Polk may refer to:
People
* James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States
* Polk (name), other people with the name
Places
* Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois
* Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Polk, Missou ...
Administration's conduct of the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
, spoke in favor of the 54°40' northern limit to the
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
territory, and voted for the
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 proposal in the United States Congress to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican–American War. The conflict over the Wilmot Proviso was one of the major events leading to the ...
, which would have banned
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
from the territory gained from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. His support for the latter was due to anti-African-American prejudice, as he wanted to reserve this territory for white settlement. After a single two-year term, he left the House voluntarily to resume private law practice.
State Supreme Court Justice
In 1851 he was elected to a four-year term (February 1852 – February 1856) on the
Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
,
the last year as the chief justice. He then returned to private law practice in
Columbus. Thurman spoke out against the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. It admitted Missouri as a slave state and ...
and opposed the pro-slavery
Lecompton constitution
The Lecompton Constitution (1859) was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery. It never went into effect.
History Purpose
The Lecompton C ...
for
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
. In 1860 he was a supporter of
Stephen A. Douglas for
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. A "peace Democrat" or "
Copperhead," he never accepted the right of a state to secede but felt it was unwise to fight a state that had already left the Union, and during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
he was opposed to
Lincoln's policies, especially on
emancipation
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...
. While he supported the war effort, he encouraged compromise and a political settlement.
Candidate for Governor
In 1867, he ran for Governor of Ohio, on a platform opposed to extending
suffrage to blacks, but lost to future U.S. president
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governo ...
in a close election. Statewide Democrats including Thurman ran a banner under the slogan "No Negro Equality!"
During the campaign, Thurman appealed to white supremacist attitudes in virulent tones, vowing to fight "the thralldom of n*****ism." In Ohio, like most Northern states, black suffrage referendums failed to pass due to small fractions of Republican voters joining Democratic opposition. The issue thus became seized upon by Democratic politicians in race-baiting rhetoric.
U.S. Senator
The Ohio voters chose a Democratic
state legislature, however, which selected Thurman as senator for the term beginning in 1869. He there became a strong opponent of the
Republicans' Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
measures. In 1873 Thurman crafted a strategy that led to Ohio choosing once more a Democratic legislature, and electing Thurman's uncle William Allen as governor. The legislature elected Thurman to another term in the Senate. During the twelve years he served in the Senate, he became the leader of the Democrats in that body. He was known for constant hard work, good preparation, and courteous treatment of his opponents, and other members ranked him among the top three senators of his time, in terms of ability. He came nearest, a Washington correspondent concluded, to "the beau ideal of a Senator of any man on his side of the House. He has fine passing power of cutting up his political opponents, saying a word of encouragement to some Republican when he is down, and scattering the caucuses of the opposite side with a pistol shot." His prepared speeches were clear and cogent, but it was in debate that he showed himself at his most picturesque. "He would wave his red bandana pocket handkerchief like a guidon, give his nose a trumpet-blast, take a fresh pinch of snuff, and dash into the debate, dealing rough blows, and scattering the carefully prepared arguments of his adversaries like chaff," a Washington long-time reporter remembered. He kept up a close friendship with his chief sparring partner on the opposite side,
George F. Edmunds of
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
. Journalists told how at a given signal—a long blow of his nose—he would get ready to exit the Senate so that the two could meet in the Judiciary Committee room to share a liberal amount of Kentucky Bourbon.
"When I speak of the law," Senator
Roscoe Conkling
Roscoe Conkling (October 30, 1829April 18, 1888) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who represented New York in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. He is remembered today as the leader of the ...
of New York once said, "I turn to the Senator as the Mussulman turns towards Mecca. I look to him only as I would look to the common law of England, the world's most copious volume of human jurisprudence." In particular he made himself the critic of giveaways to the large railroad corporations and of Republicans' Reconstruction policies. "A fine juicy roast of land grants is what sends Thurman's tongue a-wagging," wrote one reporter.
An advocate of
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
, Thurman bemoaned of protective tariffs as a taxation upon "everything one wears from the crown of his head to the soles."
In the 1876–1877
electoral college crisis, he helped to arrive at the solution of creating the
Electoral Commission
An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
to settle the controversy, and ultimately served as one of the members of the commission, as one of the five Senators (one of the two Senate Democrats, and one of the seven Democrats altogether). As a Democrat, he voted with the seven-member minority, in favor of the
Samuel J. Tilden electors in all cases, but the Republican majority prevailed in all the votes, and Thurman's 1867 gubernatorial opponent, Rutherford B. Hayes (who had returned to the governorship by defeating Thurman's uncle), became president. One of the House of Representatives' members of the commission, fellow Ohioan
James Garfield, was to become the president
four years later, after being chosen by the now-Republican Ohio legislature to succeed Thurman. Both men were lifelong friends.
"To look at Thurman one would suppose that his favorite reading was "Foxe's Book of the Martyrs' and "Baxter's Saints' Rest,'" a reporter wrote, "for Thurman's face certainly carries a heavier pressure of solemnity to the square inch than any face I ever saw." In fact, he was a wide reader, fond of Voltaire, Chateaubriand, Renan, and the lighter French novels, and colleagues admitted him the best French scholar in the Senate. He had picked up French from one Monsieur Gregoire, a tutor in his childhood, and in retirement continued reading French novels in the original language.
In the Senate, Thurman served on the Judiciary Committee, becoming its chairman when the Democrats won control of the Senate in the 46th Congress. He became
President pro tempore of the Senate
A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being".
...
on April 15, 1879, being the first Democrat to hold this position in nearly twenty years. He briefly served as president of the Senate because of the illness of
Vice President
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
William A. Wheeler, before Ohio chose a Republican legislature, which would not reelect Thurman. They first chose Garfield, but on his election to the Presidency, selected
John Sherman
John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He also served as ...
to succeed Thurman beginning in 1881. Garfield did appoint Thurman as American representative to the international monetary conference in Paris, a selection that Republican senators welcomed: they regretted his departure from among them. It was noted that in twelve years in the chamber, he had never had an angry word with any colleague, and noted, too, that he left the Senate as poor as he had come to it.
Candidate for vice president
Thurman spent his retirement reading French novels in the original language, playing
whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was widely played in the 18th and 19th centuries. Although the rules are simple, there is scope for strategic play.
History
Whist is a descendant of the 16th-century game of ''trump'' ...
, and amusing himself with mathematical problems; he had a reputation as one of the best mathematicians in Ohio. He was put forth as a
favorite son
Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term.
* At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a ...
candidate in the Democratic presidential nominating conventions in 1880 and 1884. In 1888, he was selected as President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
's
running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pr ...
, because Vice President
Thomas Hendricks had died in office in November 1885. Democrats turned his red bandana handkerchief into an emblem of the campaign, tying red bandanas to the top of canes in political parades, and manufacturing bandanas with the candidates' faces on them. Thurman's appeal came from his popularity among old-line Democrats, distrustful of Grover Cleveland's liberalism, and his known hostility to railroad monopolists. All the same, Thurman, who had retired from active politics, could not put on an active campaign, and added little to the ticket's chances.
Among the issues emphasized by the Cleveland/Thurman campaign included support for a reduction of taxes and protective tariffs.
In the concurrent
1884 United States Senate election in Ohio, Thurman did not oppose the campaign of incumbent Democratic senator
George H. Pendleton
George Hunt Pendleton (July 19, 1825November 24, 1889) was an American politician and lawyer. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1864.
After study ...
, who faced opposition from the statewide party due to his sponsoring of the
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is a United States federal law passed by the 47th United States Congress and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. The act mandates that most positions within the federal govern ...
that ended patronage politics in the United States.
When Cleveland was re-nominated for the presidency
in June 1892, Thurman supported him but was not a candidate for vice president. Cleveland and running mate
Adlai Stevenson went on to win the general election that November.
Personal life
On November 14, 1844, Thurman married Mary Anderson Dun Tompkins of
Lexington, Kentucky.
Her father was a wealthy landowner named Walter Dun, and she had been married until 1840 when her first husband died.
Together, Thurman and his wife had five children, including:
*
Allen W. Thurman, eugenicist and baseball executive
* Mary Thurman, who married
William S. Cowles, Thomas Scott Gifford, and
Bug Holliday
* Elizabeth Thurman, who married Arizona governor
Richard Cunningham McCormick
He was known as the "Old Roman".
Death
Thurman died on December 12, 1895, at his home in Columbus and is buried at
Green Lawn Cemetery.
Legacy
Following the
2021 United States Capitol attack, Democrats charged that
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
was responsible for the violence and sought to
impeach and remove him from office. When the articles of impeachment passed the U.S. House of Representatives and reached the Senate, by which Trump already left office,
Chuck Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, an ...
of
New York cited a resolution by Thurman against
Ulysses S. Grant's
Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
William W. Belknap as a precedent for convicting Trump.
[Jacobson, Louis (January 26, 2021)]
Can Congress impeach and remove a president who’s left office? A look at the history
''PolitiFact''. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
See also
*
Ohio History Connection
Ohio History Connection, formerly The Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society and Ohio Historical Society, is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 1885. Headquartered at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio, Ohio History Connect ...
References
External links
Retrieved on 2009-03-23
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurman, Allen G.
1813 births
1895 deaths
19th-century American politicians
Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio)
Democratic Party (United States) vice presidential nominees
Democratic Party United States senators from Ohio
Ohio lawyers
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
People of Ohio in the American Civil War
Politicians from Chillicothe, Ohio
Politicians from Lynchburg, Virginia
Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate
Candidates in the 1880 United States presidential election
Candidates in the 1884 United States presidential election
1888 United States vice-presidential candidates
Chief Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
American segregationists
American white supremacists
History of racism in Ohio
Copperheads (politics)