Thomas Hamlet Averett (July 10, 1800 – June 30, 1855) was a slave owner and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Biography

Born near

Halifax, Virginia Halifax is a town in Halifax County, Virginia, United States, along the Banister River. The population was 1,309 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County. History Carlbrook, Halifax County Courthouse, Mountain Road Historic Di ...

, Averett attended the common schools. He served as a drummer boy in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He studied medicine. He was graduated from Jefferson Medical College,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 ...

, and practiced in Halifax and the adjacent counties. He served in the State senate in 1848 and 1849. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1846 to the Thirtieth Congress. Averett was elected 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 ...

to the Thirty-first and Thirty-second Congresses (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853). During that time, he was responsible for future Confederate cavalry general J.E.B. Stuart's appointment to attend West Point. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1852. He resumed the practice of medicine in Halifax County. He died near Halifax Court House, Virginia, June 30, 1855. He was interred in the family burial ground near Halifax Court House.

Elections

*1849; Averett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 50.75% of the vote, defeating Whig Thomas Stanhope Flournoy. *1851; Averett was re-elected with 57.38% of the vote, defeating Whig Flournoy.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Averett, Thomas Hamlet 1800 births 1855 deaths Thomas Jefferson University alumni United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians People from Halifax County, Virginia