Thomas Earle (April 21, 1796 – July 14, 1849) was an American

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, and

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. The son of Pliny Earle, he was born in

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States Census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid''. On January 27 ...

, the descendant of Ralph Earle, one of the original petitioners of King Charles I to found the state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. His son was Philadelphia lawyer George H. Earle, Sr. His grandson, born after his death, was noted "financial diplomat" George H. Earle, Jr. His great-grandson was George Howard Earle III, governor of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Biography

Thomas Earle was born in

in 1796, the son of Patience (Buffum) and Pliny Earle I. He was educated at Leicester academy. In 1817 he moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits for a few years, but subsequently studied law and practiced his profession. He became distinguished also as a

, editing in succession the ''Columbian Observer'', ''Standard'', ''Pennsylvanian'', ''Pennsylvania Freeman'', and '' Mechanics' Free Press and Reform Advocate''. In 1837 he took an active part in calling the Constitutional convention of Pennsylvania, of which he was a prominent member, and it is supposed that he made the original draft of the new constitution. He lost his popularity with the Democratic Party by advocating the extension of the right of

suffrage Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in representative democracy, public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally i ...

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. He was the vice-presidential candidate in the 1840 presidential election; he ran on the Liberty Party

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with

James G. Birney James Gillespie Birney (February 4, 1792November 18, 1857) was an American abolitionist, politician, and attorney born in Danville, Kentucky. He changed from being a planter and slave owner to abolitionism, publishing the abolitionist weekly '' ...

. Although they pulled in less than seven thousand votes, their following became the germ of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. In 1837-1838 Earle was a delegate to the convention to revise

Pennsylvania's constitution The Constitution of Pennsylvania is the supreme law within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All acts of the General Assembly, the governor, and each governmental agency are subordinate to it. Since 1776, Pennsylvania's Constitution has undergone ...

. There he was one of the strongest defenders of the black voting rights, along with Thaddeus Stevens. His defense of black voting rights was, however, unsuccessful. The new constitution included the word "white", formally disenfranchising blacks for the first time. He died in

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...

in 1849, aged 53.

Family

Earle married Mary Hussey in 1820, and they had five children. Their daughter Caroline Earle White was an American philanthropist and

anti-vivisection Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for experimenta ...

activist. She co-founded PSPCA in 1867, and also founded the Women's Humane Society of the PSPCA in 1869 and the

American Anti-Vivisection Society The American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) is an organization created with the goal of eliminating a number of different procedures done by medical and cosmetic groups in relation to animal cruelty in the United States. It seeks to help the be ...

in 1883.

Notable ancestors and descendants

Pliny Earle I Pliny Earle I (December 17, 1762 – November 19, 1832) was an American inventor who made wool and cotton carding pickers. Biography Pliny Earle I was born in 1762 in Leicester, Massachusetts, the son of Sarah and Robert Earle. He was a descend ...

, inventor (father) ** George H. Earle Sr., Philadelphia lawyer (son) who married Mrs. Frances ("Fanny") Van Leer, a member of the Van Leer family and anti-slave movement ***

George Howard Earle Jr. George H. Earle Jr. (July 6, 1856 – February 19, 1928) was an American lawyer and businessman from Philadelphia who worked as a Receivership, receiver and rescued multiple businesses from financial hardship. He was a political reformer and ...

, Philadelphia lawyer and "financial diplomat" who was highly sought after to save ailing corporations from financial ruin (grandson) *** Florence Van Leer Earle Coates, poet (granddaughter) **** George Howard Earle III, former Pennsylvania Governor (great-grandson) **** Ralph Earle II, U. S. Ambassador (great-grandson)

References

External links

''Thomas Earle as a Reformer''
(1948) by Edwin B. Bronner. {{DEFAULTSORT:Earle, Thomas 1796 births 1849 deaths Lawyers from Philadelphia People from Leicester, Massachusetts 1840 United States vice-presidential candidates Pennsylvania Libertyites American Anti-Slavery Society Pennsylvania Democrats Liberty Party (United States, 1840) vice presidential nominees American abolitionists 19th-century American lawyers Earle family