Thomas Jefferson Cason (September 13, 1828 – July 10, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a

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

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1873 to 1877.

Early life and career

Born near

Brownsville, Indiana Brownsville is an unincorporated community in Brownsville Township, Union County, in the U.S. state of Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of th ...

, Cason moved to Boone County with his parents, who settled on a farm near Thorntown in 1832. He attended the common schools, and taught school in Boone County for several years. He studied law in Crawfordsville, Indiana to gain

admission 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 1850, commencing practice in Lebanon, Indiana.

Early political career

He served as member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

from 1861 to 1864, and of the

Indiana State Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

from 1864 to 1867. In April 1867,

Governor 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 ...

Conrad Baker Conrad Baker (February 12, 1817 – April 28, 1885) was an American attorney, military officer, and politician who served as state representative, 15th lieutenant governor, and the 15th governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from 1867 to 1873. B ...

appointed Cason to be a common pleas judge of Boone County, to which office he was subsequently elected in October 1867 for a term of four years. He declined reelection in 1871, and resumed the practice of law.

Congress

Cason was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1877). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1876.

Later career and death

After leaving office, he resumed the practice of law in Lebanon, Indiana. He retired in 1897 and moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he died July 10, 1901. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, Lebanon, Indiana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cason, Thomas Jefferson 1828 births 1901 deaths Republican Party Indiana state senators Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives Indiana lawyers Indiana state court judges People from Union County, Indiana People from Thorntown, Indiana People from Crawfordsville, Indiana People from Lebanon, Indiana 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana