Thomas Wheeler Woollen (April 26, 1830 - February 12, 1898) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, 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, a ...

who served as the eleventh

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

from November 6, 1878, to November 6, 1880.

Biography

Early life and education

Woollen was born in

Dorchester County Dorchester County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Dorchester County, Maryland * Dorchester County, South Carolina Dorchester County is a county located in U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. The Woollen family was descended from John Woollen, a colonist who lived on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

and assisted settlers from

New Haven Colony The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America from 1638 to 1664 primarily in parts of what is now the state of Connecticut, but also with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The history o ...

as an interpreter, being familiar with the Native languages spoken in the area. Thomas Woollen's parents were Edward and Anna (née Wheeler) Woollen. His older brother, William Wesley Woollen, was a banker, politician, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

who wrote the book ''Biographical Sketches of Early Indiana''. His younger brother, Levin James Woollen, became a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

and a member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

. Woollen worked on the family farm until 1845, when his family moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

when he was fifteen. In 1848, Woollen moved to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. While living in Madison, he served as deputy Jefferson County

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

(a position he got thanks to his brother William, who had come to Jefferson County four years prior and was serving as the county

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

). In 1856, Woollen moved to Vernon, where he

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

and worked at the Jennings County Clerk's office. After his brief stay in Vernon, Woollen moved again to

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

, where he started a law firm in partnership with Jeptha D. New (later 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 Indiana). Woollen also practiced law for over forty years with David Banta, a longtime judge of the Franklin County Circuit Court and the first dean of the

Indiana University Maurer School of Law The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is located on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The school is named after Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapolis businessman and 1967 alumnus who donated $35 million in 2008 ...

Political and judicial career

In 1862, Woollen, a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, was elected to represent Johnson County in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

. During his time in the House, he was appointed to the Committee on Benevolent Institutions by House Speaker

Samuel Hamilton Buskirk Samuel H. Buskirk (January 19, 1820, New Albany, Indiana – April 3, 1879, Indianapolis, Indiana) was a lawyer, politician, and justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. Biography Buskirk graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in 1841. Aft ...

. In 1868, Woollen was elected 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 ...

. He held the position for two years before resigning to become the head of the First National Bank in Franklin. In 1870, Woollen began to practice law again. In 1872, Woollen was re-elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He served on the House Judiciary Committee and became the leader of the House's Democratic minority, notably leading the opposition to an

apportionment The legal term apportionment (french: apportionement; Mediaeval Latin: , derived from la, portio, share), also called delimitation, is in general the distribution or allotment of proper shares, though may have different meanings in different c ...

bill pushed by House

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Woollen was elected

in 1878, succeeding

Clarence A. Buskirk Clarence Augustus Buskirk (November 8, 1842 - 1926) was an American lawyer, politician, poet, and lecturer who served as the tenth Indiana Attorney General from November 6, 1874, to November 6, 1878. Later in his life, he became a prominent promo ...

. He served in the position for two years in the administration of

James D. Williams James Douglas Williams (January 16, 1808November 20, 1880), nicknamed ''Blue Jeans Bill'', was an American farmer and Democratic politician who held public office in Indiana for four decades, and was the only farmer elected as the governor of ...

and was succeeded by

Daniel P. Baldwin Daniel Pratt Baldwin (c. 1837 – December 13, 1908) was an American lawyer, judge, politician, banker, writer, lecturer, and philanthropist who served as the twelfth Indiana Attorney General from November 6, 1880 to November 6, 1882. Biography ...

Personal life and death

Woollen was known for his "commanding personal appearance", being over six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds. Woollen married twice. He married his first wife, Harriet J. Williams (daughter of a Jackson County judge) in Brownstown in 1850. They had five children; three sons and two daughters. Harriet died in 1869, and Woollen remarried in 1872 to widow Kate Pulasky (née Byfield). Woollen died in 1898.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woollen, Thomas W. 1830 births 1898 deaths People from Dorchester County, Maryland Indiana attorneys general Indiana state court judges Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Indiana politicians