Thomas Quin Ashburn (February 9, 1820 – January 17, 1890) was an American judge on the Supreme Court Commission of Ohio from 1876 to 1879, and a member of the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...

for twelve days at the end of his life in 1890. Thomas Ashburn was born at

East Walnut Hills, Cincinnati East Walnut Hills is a neighborhood on the Southeast side of Cincinnati, Ohio. The population was 4,103 at the 2020 census. Demographics Source - City of Cincinnati Statistical Database History Founded in 1867 as the incorporated Village of Wo ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He was the oldest of seven children of Richard Ashburn and Mary (Williams) Ashburn. The family soon moved to New Richmond,

Clermont County, Ohio Clermont County, popularly called Clermont ( ), is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 208,601. Ordinanced in 1800 as part of the Virginia Military District, Clermont is Ohio's eighth oldest county, the ...

, where Thomas grew up. Ashburn entered

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in 1838, and stayed for about eighteen months. He then taught school in New Richmond for two winters and spent his summers at farm labor. In 1841 he entered Jefferson College at

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

, where he stayed through half his junior year. He then taught school again in Clermont County, and studied law at the

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,509 at the 2010 census. Geography Batavia is located at (39.077332, -84.179160). According to the United States Census Bureau, the ...

office of ''Shields & Howard'', attorneys at that place. Ashburn practiced law at New Richmond until 1846, when he removed to Batavia. He was prosecuting attorney of Clermont County from 1848 to 1852. In 1855, he ran for the Ohio Legislature, but was defeated. From 1861 to 1876, he was judge 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 ...

for Adams,

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

and Clermont Counties. He ran for the Ohio Supreme Court in 1875, but was defeated 296,944 to 292,328 by Republican George W. McIlvaine. Ashburn resigned from the Common Pleas Court in 1876, when he was appointed to the Supreme Court Commission of Ohio for a three year term by

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 ...

Rutherford B. Hayes. In February, 1879, after the commission was dissolved, Ashburn entered a partnership with George W. Hulick of Batavia, which continued until his death. In November 1889, he was elected to the

as a Democrat. The session began January 6, 1890, and a dying Ashburn was carried into the chambers to vote for

Calvin S. Brice Calvin Stewart Brice (September 17, 1845 – December 15, 1898) was an American businessman and Democratic politician from Ohio. He is best remembered for his single term in the United States Senate, his role as chairman of the Democratic Natio ...

for United States Senator on January 14 and 15. He died January 17, 1890. Ashburn was married to Sarah W. Penn on December 3, 1846. She died November 10, 1854, survived by four children. He remarried to Mary Ellen Griffith, a first cousin of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, on March 27, 1856, and they had two children.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburn, Thomas Q. Members of the Supreme Court Commission of Ohio 1820 births 1890 deaths Miami University alumni Washington & Jefferson College alumni People from New Richmond, Ohio County district attorneys in Ohio Democratic Party Ohio state senators Ohio state court judges People from Batavia, Ohio 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges