Thomas Claxton (died 1821) was the

Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives An appointed officer of the United States House of Representatives from 1789 until 1995, the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives was chosen by a resolution at the opening of each United States Congress. The Office of the D ...

from 1795 to 1821. While being Doorkeeper, Claxton was also the "Agent for furnishing the President's House" for both

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

Background

Thomas Claxton was born in the state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

in an unknown year. Claxton was a printer by trade and a former officer in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. In 1781, Claxton served in the 4th Regiment of the Philadelphia Militia. He served as Assistant Doorkeeper of the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

from 1789 to 1789. On December 7, 1795, he was appointed as Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives by the

4th United States Congress The 4th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penns ...

. He was reappointed each congressional session until the

16th United States Congress The 16th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1819 ...

, which he died shortly after. Under the

presidency of John Adams The presidency of John Adams, began on March 4, 1797, when John Adams was inaugurated as the second president of the United States, and ended on March 4, 1801. Adams, who had served as vice president under George Washington, took office as pre ...

and the

presidency of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson served as the third president of the United States from March 4, 1801, to March 4, 1809. Jefferson assumed the office after defeating incumbent John Adams in the 1800 presidential election. The election was a political realig ...

, Claxton served as the "Agent for furnishing the President's House from 1797 to 1809. According to historian Marie Kimball, Thomas Claxton was "Jefferson's man-Friday in hetask of furnishing" the executive mansion. Before Jefferson's second term as president, Claxton worked with Maryland Congressman Joseph Hopper Nicholson to increase the initial appropriations for the President's House by $14,000. Nicholson was an influential

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

and an ally of Jefferson. Claxton reported his success to Jefferson and offered himself as the purchasing agent for new assets. As his second term drew to a close, Jefferson praised Claxton for is work in securing pleasure and wrote "I say with pleasure that the integrity, diligence & economy with which you have employed the funds destined to that object, have given me perfect satisfaction." Thomas Claxton lived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, and the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

throughout his life. He had a son also named Thomas Claxton who served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. Thomas Claxton died on December 8, 1821 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

.Some sources state that Claxton died on November 30, 1821. But, the majority state the date as December 8, 1821.

Years served as Doorkeeper

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claxton, Thomas Employees of the United States House of Representatives 1821 deaths Continental Army officers from Connecticut American printers