Thomas Welles Bartley (also known as Thomas W. Bartley) (February 11, 1812 – June 20, 1885) was an American
Democratic politician from the U.S. state of
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 served as the 17th
governor of Ohio
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 ...
. Bartley was succeeded in office by his father,
Mordecai Bartley
Mordecai Bartley (December 16, 1783 – October 10, 1870) was a Whig politician from northeastern Ohio. He served as the 18th governor of Ohio. Bartley succeeded his son, Thomas W. Bartley as governor, one of few instances of this happening in th ...
, one of only a few instances of this occurring in high elected office in the United States.
Biography
Bartley was born in
Jefferson County, Ohio
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was vice president at the time of its creation.
...
. As a child he moved to
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...
with his family. Bartley attended
Jefferson College and graduated in 1829. He studied law with
Jacob Parker
Jacob Parker (born July 9, 1993) is an American basketball player. He competed collegiately for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Parker was named Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2014.[Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...]
, and studied law with
Elijah Hayward
Elijah Hayward (November 17, 1786 – September 22, 1864) was a lawyer in the U.S. State of Ohio who represented his county in the Ohio House of Representatives, sat on the Ohio Supreme Court for a short time, and was Commissioner of the Gener ...
in Washington, D.C.. Bartley was
admitted 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 1833, and began practice in Mansfield.
[
]
Career
Bartley served in the Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
from 1839–1841 and then in 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 ...
from 1841-1845. He was elected Speaker of the Senate in 1843.
When Wilson Shannon
Wilson Shannon (February 24, 1802 – August 30, 1877) was a United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician from Ohio and Kansas. He served as the 14th and 16th governor of Ohio, and was the first Ohio governor born in the state. He was th ...
resigned as governor on April 15, 1844, to take a diplomatic appointment as United States ambassador to Mexico,
Bartley became Governor while concurrently remaining in the Senate. He served out the remainder of Shannon's term until December 3. Bartley sought renomination under the Democratic Party, but lost at the state convention by a single vote - avoiding a contest against his father, who accepted the Whig nomination. Bartley later served a contentious term on the Ohio State Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...
from 1852-1859.
Bartley lived in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The city ...
, and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
to practice law in 1863, and in 1867 to Washington, D.C., where he died in 1885. He was interred at Glenwood Cemetery.
Family life
On October 9, 1837, Bartley married his first wife, Julia Maria Larwill, in Wooster, Ohio
Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...
. Bartley married his second wife, Susan D. Sherman (October 10, 1825– January 10, 1876), sister of John Sherman
John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He also served as ...
and General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
, on November 7, 1848,. Ellen McCoy, widow of one of General Sherman's staff officers, was his third wife.[
]
Death
Bartley was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartley, Thomas W.
1812 births
1885 deaths
Democratic Party governors of Ohio
Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Presidents of the Ohio State Senate
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
Washington & Jefferson College alumni
Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
Politicians from Mansfield, Ohio
Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)
United States Attorneys for the District of Ohio
People from Jefferson County, Ohio
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American judges