Thomas Sergeant (January 14, 1782 – May 8, 1860) was a Pennsylvania lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as Secretary of State, Attorney General, and as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court.

Biography and career

Sergeant and his twin Henry were born the sons of

Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (1746 – October 8, 1793) was an American lawyer from Princeton, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress in 1776 and 1777. He later served as Attorney General for the state of Pennsylvan ...

and Margaret Spencer. He graduated from

the College of New Jersey The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...

in 1798. He then read law under Jared Ingersoll, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1802. In 1812, he married Sarah Bache, a daughter of

Sarah Franklin Bache Sarah Franklin Bache (September 11, 1743 – October 5, 1808), sometimes known as Sally Bache, was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Deborah Read. She was a leader in relief work during the American Revolutionary War and frequently served as ...

, who was a daughter of

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

. Their children were Henry Jonathan, Emma, Frances, Thomas Jr., and William, who died in infancy. His grandson, by Frances, was the scholar and linguist, Thomas Sergeant Perry. From 1812–1814, Sergeant served in the state legislature. From 1814–1817 he was an associate judge of the District Court of Philadelphia. From 1817–1819 he was Secretary of the Commonwealth, from 1819–1820 he was state Attorney General. From 1828–1832 he was postmaster of Philadelphia. In 1831, Sergeant was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. From 1834–1846 he served as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court. Upon resigning, he resumed private practice. He was president of the Law Academy and a trustee of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Sergeant wrote several books on Pennsylvania law.

References

External links

Sergeant family tree
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sergeant, Thomas 1782 births 1860 deaths Pennsylvania Attorneys General Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Princeton University alumni Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Lawyers from Philadelphia Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers