Thomas Lee (November 28, 1780 – November 2, 1856) was an American Jacksonian Party politician who represented New Jersey at large in the United States House of Representatives for two terms from 1833 to 1837.

Early life and career

Lee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 28, 1780. He resided in Chester Valley, Pennsylvania during his earlier years and attended the common schools. He moved to Leesburg, New Jersey (within

Maurice River Township Maurice River Township () is the easternmost township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Vineland- Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2010 United States ...

), about 1798 and to

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

in 1805. He became a merchant, shipbuilder, and landowner. He was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1813 to 1815 and a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1814 and 1815. He was

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Port Elizabeth from 1818 to 1833 and 1846–1849.

U.S. House of Representatives

Lee was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth

Congresses A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

, serving in office from March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837, and was chairman of the Committee on Accounts in the Twenty-fourth Congress.

Later life and death

He was founder of Port Elizabeth Library and Academy. He died in Port Elizabeth on November 2, 1856, and was interred in the Methodist Episcopal Churchyard.

References

Thomas Lee
at The Political Graveyard Wills, Cumberland Co., NJ. Book E, pp. 18–20. Recorded 15 Nov 1855.

External links

* 1780 births 1856 deaths New Jersey postmasters Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey Members of the New Jersey General Assembly People from Maurice River Township, New Jersey Politicians from Cumberland County, New Jersey Politicians from Philadelphia 19th-century American politicians {{NewJersey-politician-stub