John Warren Thomas (April 1, 1815 - July 20, 1888) was a shoemaker, and politician who twice served as the Sheriff of

Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County is located in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 725,981. Its county seat is Dedham. It is the fourth most populous county in the United States whose county seat is neither a city nor a bor ...

, first for one year, from 1852 to 1853, and again for 21 years, from 1857 to 1878.

Personal life

Thomas, the son of Andrew Thomas, was born in

Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer") , image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...

on April 1, 1815. Thomas received his education in the Weymouth public schools. He was a Congregationalist. Thomas died on July 20, 1888 at the age of 73. His portrait is in the collection of the Dedham Historical Society.

Political career

In 1852 Thomas was elected to represent Weymouth in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, and in 1853 he was elected to serve as a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. In 1852 Thomas was appointed Norfolk County sheriff by Massachusetts governor George S. Boutwell. The next year Thomas was removed from office for political reasons by Boutwell's successor John H. Clifford In 1856 the state law was changed and the office of sheriff became an elected, rather than appointed position, Thomas received the nominations of both the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

parties. Thomas was elected by a plurality of three thousand, and a majority of twenty five hundred votes over the Democratic and (Fillmore) American party candidate Edward Potter. Thomas was once again sworn as the Norfolk County sheriff on January 1, 1857. Thomas continued in office until January 1, 1878, winning each triennial election until he declined to run again due to failing health.

References

1815 births 1888 deaths American Congregationalists People from Weymouth, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives High Sheriffs of Norfolk County Massachusetts Free Soilers Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts Republicans 19th-century American people {{US-law-enforcement-bio-stub