James Thomas (March 11, 1785December 25, 1845) served as the 23rd Governor of the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 1833 to 1836. He practiced medicine and served as judge in several courts throughout Maryland, and served in the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

from 1824 to 1830.

Biography

He was born at " De la Brooke Manor" in St. Mary's County, Maryland on March 11, 1785, the son of William Thomas and Catherine Boarman. He entered St. John’s College with the class of 1800, but he did not graduate. He graduated from

Charlotte Hall Military Academy Charlotte Hall Military Academy, located at Charlotte Hall, Maryland, was established as Charlotte Hall School in 1774 by Queen Charlotte to provide for the liberal and pious education of youth to better fit them for the discharge of their duties ...

in 1804. Thomas studied medicine in Philadelphia and received his doctor’s degree there in 1807. In 1808, he married his cousin, Elizabeth Coates. He practiced medicine in St. Mary's County until the outbreak of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Thomas also served as a justice of the peace and, from 1810 to 1812, was a member of the Levy Court of St. Mary’s County. He was commissioned as major in the Fourth Maryland Cavalry and later brevetted a major general. After the war, Thomas resumed his medical practice, but soon entered politics. He served as a Maryland State Senator from the Western Shore from 1826 to 1831. He was elected governor by an overwhelming majority in 1833, the last

anti-Jacksonian The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States that evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John Qu ...

candidate to be chosen before that party became the Whigs. Thomas was sworn into office on January 17, 1833. He was instrumental in bringing about a settlement between the interests of the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

and the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

which meant so much to the success of the railroad. He supported appropriations for the support of general education. During his term occurred the removal of the government deposits which preceded the failure of the Bank of Maryland during 1834. Beginning on August 6, 1835, a mob began several days of rioting, burning and looting. After several days of anarchy, the Governor called for federal troops whose arrival, together with drastic action by General Samuel Smith, brought an end to several days of chaos. This incident prompted Governor Thomas to take measures for the establishment of a state militia organization. When his term expired on January 14, 1836, he retired to his home at "

Deep Falls Deep Falls is a historic home located at Chaptico, St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. It began as a one-story four-room frame house that was reportedly built in 1745. The house was apparently extensively remodeled at some time during t ...

," St. Mary’s County. He died there on Christmas Day 1845, and was buried in the Thomas’ family cemetery at "Deep Falls".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, James Governors of Maryland Maryland state senators Maryland state court judges 1785 births 1845 deaths Maryland Whigs Charlotte Hall Military Academy alumni People from St. Mary's County, Maryland National Republican Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American physicians American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia generals Maryland National Republicans 19th-century American judges