Thomas Clap Perkins (July 29, 1798 – October 11, 1870) was an American lawyer and politician. Perkins was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

., July 29, 1798. His father was

Enoch Perkins Enoch () ''Henṓkh''; ar, أَخْنُوخ ', Qur'ān.html"_;"title="ommonly_in_Qur'ān">ommonly_in_Qur'ānic_literature__'_is_a_biblical_figure_and_Patriarchs_(Bible).html" "title="Qur'ānic_literature.html" ;"title="Qur'ān.html" ;"title="o ...

, Esq, of Hartford, and his mother, Anna Pitkin, was a daughter of Rev.

Timothy Pitkin Timothy Pitkin (January 21, 1766 in Farmington, Connecticut – December 18, 1847 in New Haven, Connecticut) was an American lawyer, politician, and historian. He graduated from Yale in 1785, taught in the academy at Plainfield, Connecticu ...

, of

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles s ...

. His brother was Rev. George W. Perkins. He graduated from Yale College in 1818. After graduation, he studied law with

Seth P. Staples Seth Perkins Staples (Aug. 31, 1776- Nov. 6, 1861) was an American lawyer and politician. He founded what became the New Haven Law School, which was absorbed by Yale University as their Yale Law School. He was the brother-in-law of Roger Sherman J ...

, Esq, in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, and in 1820 was admitted to the bar in Hartford, where he practiced his profession for half a century, with distinguished success. He joined the law firm founded by his father in 1786, now called Howard, Kohn, Sprague & FitzGerald, one of the oldest continuously practicing law firms in the US. He was several times elected to the

Connecticut State Senate The Connecticut State Senate is the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The state senate comprises 36 members, each representing a district with around 99,280 inhabitants. Sena ...

and

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

, and was once elected a Judge of the

Connecticut Supreme Court The Connecticut Supreme Court, formerly known as the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors, is the supreme court, highest court in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven justices sit in ...

, but declined the position. He also served as the United States attorney for the district of Connecticut. He died in Hartford, Oct. 11, 1870, at the age of 72. Perkins married in 1827 Mary, daughter of the Rev

Lyman Beecher Lyman Beecher (October 12, 1775 – January 10, 1863) was a Presbyterian minister, and the father of 13 children, many of whom became noted figures, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry Ward Beecher, Charles Beecher, Edward Beecher, Isabella Bee ...

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ra ...

and sister of author

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

. She survived him, with two sons and two daughters. His eldest son was

Frederic Beecher Perkins Frederic Beecher Perkins (27 September 1828 – 27 January 1899) was an American editor, writer, and librarian. He was a member of the Beecher family, a prominent 19th-century American religious family. Early life Frederic Beecher Perkins was b ...

, father of author

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Charlotte Perkins Gilman (; née Perkins; July 3, 1860 – August 17, 1935), also known by her first married name Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was an American humanist, novelist, writer, lecturer, advocate for social reform, and eugenicist. She wa ...

. His other son Charles E. Perkins joined his father's law firm and became friend and lawyer to author

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

. He's is the brother of Emily Perkins Baldwin, the wife of Connecticut Governor and US Senator

Roger Sherman Baldwin Roger Sherman Baldwin (January 4, 1793 – February 19, 1863) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Governor of Connecticut from 1844 to 1846 and a United States senator from 1847 to 1851. As a lawyer, his career was most notable ...

, the mother of Connecticut Governor and Chief Justice

Simeon E. Baldwin Simeon Eben Baldwin (February 5, 1840 – January 30, 1927) was an American jurist, law professor, and politician who served as the 65th governor of Connecticut. Education The son of jurist, Connecticut governor and U.S. Senator Roger Sherman ...

, the grandmother of New York Supreme Court Justice

Edward Baldwin Whitney Edward Baldwin Whitney (August 16, 1857 – January 5, 1911) was an American lawyer and judge. Life Edward Baldwin Whitney was born August 16, 1857. His father was linguist William Dwight Whitney (1827–1894) of the New England Dwight family. Hi ...

and aunt of

References

External links

''Memorials of Connecticut Judges and Attorneys''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Thomas Clap 1798 births 1870 deaths Lawyers from Hartford, Connecticut Connecticut lawyers Yale University alumni Connecticut state senators Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Beecher family Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut 19th-century American lawyers