Thomas Maxwell (February 16, 1792 – November 4, 1864) was an attorney and politician, serving for one term from 1829 to 1831 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

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, as well as in county and state offices.

Early life and education

Thomas Maxwell was born on February 16, 1792, at Tioga Point (now

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Bradford County, Pennsylvania Bradford County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, its population was 59,967. Its county seat is Towanda. The county was created on February 21, 1810, from parts o ...

. His father, Guy Maxwell, was an Indian trader and was adopted by the

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

(

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

) in the same year. The senior Maxwell moved his family to Elmira (then Newtown Point), New York, in 1796. In 1804, he was adopted by the Seneca people, given the name ''He-je-no,'' meaning "the brave boy".

War of 1812

During the War of 1812, Guy Maxwell was appointed quartermaster of a regiment of Cavalry attached to the brigade of General Vincent Mathews. After the war he served as clerk of

Tioga County, New York Tioga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,455. Its county seat is Owego. Its name derives from an American Indian word meaning "at the forks", describing a meeting place. Tioga Coun ...

from 1819 to 1829.

Congress

Maxwell was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first Congress (March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831). He served as chairman of the Committee on Accounts (Twenty-first Congress).

Later career

He engaged in the prosecution of pension claims. He studied law and was admitted to practice in the court of common pleas of old Tioga County in 1832. He was editor of the ''Elmira Gazette'' from 1834 to 1836, and was appointed as US postmaster of Elmira, serving 1834–1839. Deputy clerk of Chemung County in 1836. Treasurer of Chemung County in 1836–1843. He was chosen as a vice president of the

New York and Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

Co. in 1841. He served as commissioner of loans of United States deposit and of State funds in 1843. About 1845 Maxwell moved his family to

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

, upon his appointment as deputy clerk of the State supreme court. Later in life, Maxwell became an Iroquois agent, and made many notes on them, which were in his daughter's hands.

Red Jacket Red Jacket (known as ''Otetiani'' in his youth and ''Sagoyewatha'' eeper Awake''Sa-go-ye-wa-tha'' as an adult because of his oratorical skills) (c. 1750–January 20, 1830) was a Seneca people, Seneca orator and Tribal chief, chief of the Wolf ...

had his portrait painted for Maxwell; they were warm friends. Eighty years after the formal adoption of Maxwell, his daughter Harriet (later known as Harriet Maxwell Converse) was formally adopted by the family of Red Jacket. She was given many mementos, such as a necklace made of 79 little silver brooches, which had been worn by Red Jacket; and also his Masonic pin.

Death

Maxwell died in Elmira on November 4, 1864, and was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Thomas 1792 births 1864 deaths Quartermasters American military personnel of the War of 1812 United States Army officers Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Elmira, New York) Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)