Thomas Fletcher (April 8, 1817February 26, 1880) was an American politician and lawyer who served as

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

from November 4 to 15, 1862, following the resignation of

Henry M. Rector Henry Massie Rector (May 1, 1816August 12, 1899) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the sixth governor of Arkansas from 1860 to 1862. Early life and education Henry Massie Rector was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the son of ...

. He was president of the

Arkansas Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

from 1858 to 1864, and in exile at

Washington, Arkansas Washington is a city in Ozan Township, Hempstead County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 180 at the 2010 census, up from 148 in 2000. It is part of the Hope Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to Historic Washington S ...

until 1865.

Early life

Fletcher was born on April 8, 1817, at

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. He became prominent in the profession of law and, during the

Polk administration The presidency of James K. Polk began on March 4, 1845, when James K. Polk was United States presidential inauguration, inaugurated as President of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1849. He was a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, ...

, was appointed a

United States marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

. An attorney in

Hinds County, Mississippi Hinds County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. With its county seats (Raymond and the state's capital, Jackson), Hinds is the most populous county in Mississippi with a 2020 census population of 227,742 residents. Hinds Coun ...

in 1850, he later moved to

Arkansas County, Arkansas Arkansas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 19,019. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the county has two county seats, DeWitt and Stuttgart. The first of the state's 75 present- ...

. Turning to elective politics, he represented the 18th district in the Arkansas Senate from 1858 to 1864, and in the State government in exile at Washington, Arkansas until the end of the American Civil War.

Acting Governor of Arkansas

Fletcher's service as acting governor of Arkansas continued from the resignation of Henry M. Rector until the inauguration of Harris Flanagin, who was chosen at the general election held on October 6, 1862. Fletcher's tenure of the office as acting governor was by virtue of his position as president of the Arkansas Senate.

Later life and death

After the

reconstruction period The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebui ...

ended in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, he represented the 16th district in the Arkansas Senate. In 1878 he began the practice of the law at

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, but his career was soon afterward terminated by his death at age 62, on February 26, 1880, at Little Rock, due to complications from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Thomas 1817 births 1880 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century Methodists Acting Governors of Arkansas American Freemasons American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Methodists from Arkansas American slave owners Arkansas Democrats Arkansas Independents Arkansas state senators Burials at Mount Holly Cemetery Confederate States of America state governors Deaths from pneumonia in Arkansas Democratic Party governors of Arkansas Exiled politicians Farmers from Arkansas Lawyers from Little Rock, Arkansas People from Hinds County, Mississippi People from Nashville, Tennessee People of Arkansas in the American Civil War Politicians from Arkansas County, Arkansas Polk administration personnel Recipients of American presidential pardons United States Marshals University of Nashville alumni

Early life

Acting Governor of Arkansas

Later life and death

See also

References

Further reading

External links