Thomas Tillinghast (August 21, 1742August 26, 1821) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

. Born in East Greenwich in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Tillinghast was elected as a member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is composed of 75 members, elected ...

and served from 1772 to 1773. He held several offices under the Revolutionary authorities and again served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1778 to 1780. 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 ...

in 1779. He was a member of the

council of war A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle. Under normal circumstances, decisions are made by a commanding officer, optionally communicated ...

. He served as an

associate justice Associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some sta ...

of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

from May 1781 to May 1787, and again from May 1791 until his resignation in December 1797.
Manual - the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
' (1891), p. 208-13. He was a great grandson of Rev. Pardon Tillinghast (1622–1718) Tillinghast was elected as a Federalist to the Fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Francis Malbone and served from November 13, 1797, to March 3, 1799. He was again elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

to the Seventh Congress and served from March 4, 1801 to March 3, 1803. Tillinghast died in East Greenwich, Rhode Island on August 26, 1821. Interment was in Tillinghast Lot (''Rhode Island Historical Cemetery East Greenwich #18)'' located on South County Road, East Greenwich.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tillinghast, Thomas 1742 births 1821 deaths People from Kent County, Rhode Island Rhode Island Democratic-Republicans Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court People from East Greenwich, Rhode Island Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives People of colonial Rhode Island Burials in Rhode Island