Thomas Wilson Spence (September 2, 1846February 23, 1912) was an

Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...

immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing the city of during the

1877 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed ''Empress of India'' by the ''Royal Titles Act 1876'', introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sio ...

and

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

sessions. As a young man, he was one of the "Ohio Five", who were among the early students of

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. Spence rose to legal prominence in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, and died of a heart attack in the chambers of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

while making oral arguments. "He died with his tie on."

Early life

Thomas Wilson Spence was born in

Dungannon Dungannon () is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, in September 1846. He emigrated with his family to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in the midst of ''Án Gorta Mór'' or the Great Famine of 1845–1848. His family located at

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio. It is the only city in Ross Count ...

, where he was raised and educated. After completing his common school education, his family relocated to

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac United States metrop ...

, in 1865. Spence quickly returned to Ohio, however, and attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

. After a year, in 1867, he entered

. He studied the classical course and graduated as valedictorian in 1870. While at Ohio Wesleyan, Spence joined the

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...

fraternity and transferred to Cornell with several fraternity brothers. At Cornell, he was "the fourth founder" of the New York Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi. He was also a founding member of Cornell's Irving Literary Society.

Fond du Lac career

After graduating, Spence returned to and began to study law in the office of Coleman & Thorpe. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and began practicing law in . In 1875, he formed a partnership with his former teacher, James Coleman, creating a firm known as Coleman & Spence. Coleman had also been postmaster at , and Spence was appointed the new postmaster in 1879. That partnership continued until 1880, when Coleman moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to become a partner for U.S. senator Matthew H. Carpenter. Spence formed a new partnership with a recent pupil, Joseph W. Hiner, in a firm known as Spence & Hiner. While prospering in his legal career, Spence also became active in politics as a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. He was elected to two terms in the

, serving in the

and

sessions. He represented County's 3rd Assembly district, which then comprised just the city of . He also presided as chairman of the Republican State Convention in 1884.

Quarles, Spence & Quarles

In 1884, Spence left and moved to

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

, to partner with Joseph V. Quarles, whose previous partner, John B. Winslow, had just been elected Wisconsin circuit court judge. In 1888, they moved to

to expand their practice, and admitted Joseph's brother, Charles Quarles, as a third partner. The firm was then known as Quarles, Spence & Quarles and became one of the leading law firms in Wisconsin. The firm of Quarles, Spence & Quarles still survives, in some respects, in the 21st century. Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen S.C. traces its origins to the 1881 firm of Quarles & Winslow, the predecessor of Quarles, Spence & Quarles. The name of the firm remained Quarles, Spence & Quarles until 1957.

Death

Two years after counselor Spence's death, it was written in the History of Wisconsin:

Personal life and family

Thomas Spence married Maria Cornelia Tallmadge, of

Granville, Wisconsin Granville was a town located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. One portion was incorporated as the village of Brown Deer in 1955; the remainder consolidated with the City of Milwaukee in 1956, and became a neighborhood of Milwauk ...

, in 1874. Cornelia was the sixth child of Montgomery Tallmadge and his wife Nancy Ann (' Eastman). The Tallmadge family was descended from Thomas Talmadge, an English immigrant who came to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

in 1631. The Talmadge family contained many prominent figures in American history, including Cornelia's great grandfather

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as leade ...

, who was a significant spymaster for

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Nathaniel P. Tallmadge Nathaniel Pitcher Tallmadge (February 8, 1795November 2, 1864) was an American lawyer and politician. He served two terms as United States Senator from New York (1833–1844) and was the 3rd Governor of the Wisconsin Territory (1844– ...

, who served as governor of the Wisconsin Territory, was a second cousin (twice-removed). Thomas and Cornelia had one child, Thomas Henry Spence, who graduated from Yale in 1899 and became a partner in his father's law firm.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1876)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1876

Wisconsin Assembly (1878)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1878

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Thomas Wilson Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Dungannon Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Irish emigrants to the United States Cornell University alumni Wisconsin lawyers 1846 births 1912 deaths 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Wisconsin politicians