Tobias Avery Plants (March 17, 1811 – June 19, 1887) was an American lawyer, newspaperman, and politician who served two terms as 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

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 ...

from 1865 to 1869.

Biography

Born at

Sewickley, Pennsylvania Sewickley is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, west northwest of Pittsburgh along the Ohio River. It is a residential suburb of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,827 according to the 2010 census. The Sewickley Bridge crosses the Ohio ...

, Plants apprenticed to a saddler at the age of twelve. He received a limited common school education. He attended Beaver College, Meadville, Pennsylvania. He taught school, and while teaching studied law with

Edwin M. Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

in the office of Judge David Powell at

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...

. He 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 ...

and commenced practice in Athens, Ohio, in 1846, but soon moved to

Pomeroy, Ohio Pomeroy ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Meigs County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River 21 miles south of Athens. The population was 1,852 at the 2010 census. History Pomeroy was founded in 1804 and named for landowner Samuel ...

. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1858–1861. He was owner and publisher of the Pomeroy ''Weekly Telegraph'' about 1860.

Congress

Plants was elected as a

Republican 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 ...

to the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses (March 4, 1865 - March 3, 1869). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1868.

Later career and death

He served as Common Pleas Judge in Meigs County from 1873 to 1875, when he resigned to resume the practice of law. A

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

for

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his hum ...

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more wi ...

in 1880, Smith 1898 : 431-432 he served as president of the First City Bank of Pomeroy from 1878 until his death in Pomeroy on June 19, 1887. He was interred in Beech Grove Cemetery.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Plants, Tobias Avery 1811 births 1887 deaths People from Sewickley, Pennsylvania Ohio lawyers 1880 United States presidential electors 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives People from Pomeroy, Ohio 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio