Thomas Henry Bayly (December 11, 1810 – June 23, 1856) was a nineteenth-century politician, slave owner, lawyer and judge 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 ...

, and the son of Congressman Thomas M. Bayly.

Early and family life

Born at the family estate called "Mount Custis" near Drummondtown (now known as

Accomac, Virginia Accomac is a town in and the county seat of Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 526 at the 2020 census. History Though Accomack County was established as one of Virginia's eight original shires in 1634, the governme ...

), to then Virginia state senator and militia officer Thomas Monteagle Bayly and his wife. Although the senior Bayly served a term in the U.S. House of Representatives (1813-1815) during the War of 1812, he primarily operated a plantation using enslaved labor, and would also later again serve (part-time) in the Virginia House of Delegates and at the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829 representing Accomack County. Young Bayly received a private education suitable to his class, and went on to study law at the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

, graduating in 1829. Bayley married Evelyn Harrison May (1810-1897), one of the daughters of Judge John Fitzhugh May of Petersburg, who bore daughters Anna May Bayly (1840-1860) and Evelyn May Tiffany (1851-1929).

Career

Admitted to the bar in 1830, Bayly practiced law in

Accomac County, Virginia Accomack County is a United States county located in the eastern edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Together, Accomack and Northampton counties make up the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which in turn is part of the Delmarva Peninsula, bordered ...

and also operated the family plantation using enslaved labor, especially after his father's death in 1834. In 1840, he owned 29 slaves. In 1850 Bayly owned 31 slaves (ten 10 years old or younger) as well as land worth $70,000. Accomack County voters elected and re-elected Bayly as one of their two representatives in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, where he served (part time) from 1836 to 1842. In 1837 he accepted appointment as

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of the 21st Brigade in the Virginia Militiam and served until 1846. Fellow legislators elected Bayly judge of the Circuit Court of Law and Chancery for Accomack County in 1842, a position he resigned upon election to Congress. In 1844, Bayly won election 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 fill a vacancy in the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

caused by the resignation of

Henry A. Wise Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 – September 12, 1876) was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil W ...

to become U.S. Minister to Brazil during the presidency of

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...

. Bayly would win re-election several times (although the district name changed from

Virginia's 7th congressional district Virginia's 7th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The district is currently represented by Democrat Abigail Spanberger, first elected in 2018. 2016 redistricting The Virginia ...

Virginia's 1st congressional district Virginia's first congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It is a district split between a suburban north and rural south. Virginian politicians now sometimes refer to it as "America's F ...

following redistricting following the 1850 census and adoption of a new Virginia constitution). Bayly served in the House until his death in 1856. He rose to become chairman of the

House Committee on Ways and Means The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other program ...

from 1849 to 1851 and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1851 to 1855.

Death and legacy

Bayly died on June 23, 1856, during his congressional term, but at his estate, Mount Custis, near Drummondtown, Virginia. He was interred in the family cemetery there, as soon would be his eldest daughter, and decades later, his widow. Bayly also has a

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

in Washington, D.C.. The

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

Art Museum is housed in the Thomas H. Bayly Building.

Elections

*1844; Bayly was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives with 54.5% of the vote, defeating Whig Hitt Carter. *1845; Bayly was re-elected with 53.54% of the vote, defeating Whig George W. Southall. *1847; Bayly was re-elected with 52.47% of the vote, defeating Whig John J. Jones. *1849; Bayly was re-elected with 64.75% of the vote, defeating Whig

Francis Mallory Francis Mallory (December 12, 1807 – March 26, 1860) was an American naval officer, physician, and railroad executive, who as a Whig politician served two terms in the United States House of Representatives representing Virginia's 1st co ...

. *1851; Bayly was re-elected unopposed. *1853; Bayly was re-elected with 58.93% of the vote, defeating Independents Louis C.H. Finney and George W. Lewis. *1855; Bayly was re-elected with 79.09% of the vote, defeating Independents Robert L. Montague, Richard Lee Turberville Beale, Joseph Eggleston Segar, and a man identified only as Jennings.

References

External links