Thomas Gold Alvord (December 20, 1810 – October 26, 1897) was an American lawyer, merchant and politician. Throughout his political career he was known as Old Salt.
Life
He was born on December 20, 1810, in
Onondaga, New York
Onondaga is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States encompassing 65 square miles. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town had a population of 22,937. The town is named after the native Onondaga tribe, part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Ono ...
, to Elisha Alvord and Helen Lansing.
His grandfather Thomas Gold Alvord was a soldier in the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
and served in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
His ancestor
Alexander Alvord, immigrated from
Somersetshire, England
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Historic counties of England, Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord L ...
, and settled at
East Winsor, Connecticut, in 1634.
His maternal ancestor,
Abram Jacob Lansing, left
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
in 1630, and located at
Fort Orange
Fort Orange ( nl, Fort Oranje) was the first permanent Dutch settlement in New Netherland; the present-day city of Albany, New York developed at this site. It was built in 1624 as a replacement for Fort Nassau, which had been built on nearb ...
. He became the patroon of a large grant of land which he called
Lansingburgh.
In 1813, the family moved to Lansingburgh, New York. At the age of 15, he entered
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
, graduating in 1828. Then he studied law with
Thomas A. Tomlinson and
George A. Simmons
George Abel Simmons (September 8, 1791 – October 27, 1857) was a U.S. Representative from New York.
Biography
Born in Lyme, New Hampshire, Simmons attended the district school. He was graduated from Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, ...
at
Keeseville, New York
Keeseville is a hamlet (and census-designated place) in Clinton and Essex counties, New York, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The hamlet was named after the Keese family, early settlers from Vermont. It developed alon ...
, was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1832, and commenced practice at
Salina, New York
Salina is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 33,710 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is derived from the Latin word for "salt". Salina is a northwestern suburb of the city of Syracuse.
History
The ...
.
In 1846, he became a lumber merchant.
[
He began his political career as a ]Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, joined the Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...
in 1848, and was elected to the Assembly term of 1858 as a Democrat. In 1861, he became a War Democrat
War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...
, chaired the Union Convention at Syracuse, was nominated to run for the Assembly, and was endorsed by the Republicans and elected without opposition. For the terms from 1864 to 1872, he was elected as a 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 ...
. For the term of 1874, he was elected as an Independent, defeating the Republican incumbent.[
He was a member from Onondaga County of the ]New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
in 1844, 1858, 1862
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria.
* January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico.
* January ...
, 1864
Events
January–March
* January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song " ...
, 1870
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The first edition of ''The Northern Echo'' newspaper is published in Priestgate, Darlington, England.
** Plans for the Brooklyn Bridge are completed.
* January 3 – Construction of the Broo ...
, 1871
Events January–March
* January 3 – Franco-Prussian War – Battle of Bapaume: Prussians win a strategic victory.
* January 18 – Proclamation of the German Empire: The member states of the North German Confederation and the sout ...
, 1872
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years.
* February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
, 1874
Events
January–March
* January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx.
* January 2 – Ignacio MarÃa González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time.
* January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...
, 1875
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...
, 1877, 1878
Events January–March
* January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire.
* January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy.
* January 17 – Battle o ...
, 1879, 1880
Events
January–March
* January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia.
* January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy.
* February †...
, 1881 and 1882
Events
January–March
* January 2
** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates.
** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in ...
. He was Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
in 1858, 1864 and 1879.[
He was the ]Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
from 1865 to 1866.[
He was a delegate to the ]New York State Constitutional Convention
The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...
s in 1867 and 1894, and was chosen vice president on both occasions.[
He died on October 26, 1897, in ]Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
, and was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery there.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvord, Thomas G.
1810 births
1897 deaths
Lieutenant Governors of New York (state)
Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Syracuse, New York)
Speakers of the New York State Assembly
New York (state) Democrats
New York (state) Free Soilers
New York (state) Unionists
New York (state) Republicans
Lawyers from Syracuse, New York
People from Onondaga, New York
People from Lansingburgh, New York
Politicians from Syracuse, New York
Yale College alumni
19th-century American lawyers