Thomas Lee (November 28, 1780 – November 2, 1856) was an American

Jacksonian Party Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, And ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

at large 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for two terms from 1833 to 1837.

Early life and career

Lee was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on November 28, 1780. He resided in Chester Valley, Pennsylvania during his earlier years and attended the common schools. He moved to

Leesburg, New Jersey Leesburg is an unincorporated community located within Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08327. The land that later became the town of Leesburg in t ...

(within

Maurice River Township Maurice River Township () is the easternmost township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Vineland- Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2010 United Stat ...

), about 1798 and to Port Elizabeth in 1805. He became a merchant, shipbuilder, and landowner. He was a judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

from 1813 to 1815 and a member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

in 1814 and 1815. He was postmaster of Port Elizabeth from 1818 to 1833 and 1846–1849.

U.S. House of Representatives

Lee was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837, and was chairman of the Committee on Accounts in the Twenty-fourth Congress.

Later life and death

He was founder of Port Elizabeth Library and Academy. He died in Port Elizabeth on November 2, 1856, and was interred in the Methodist Episcopal Churchyard.

References

Thomas Lee
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

Wills, Cumberland Co., NJ. Book E, pp. 18–20. Recorded 15 Nov 1855.

External links

* 1780 births 1856 deaths New Jersey postmasters Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Maurice River Township, New Jersey Politicians from Cumberland County, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia 19th-century American politicians {{NewJersey-politician-stub