Jefferson Gage Thurber (December 30, 1807May 6, 1857) was an American lawyer,

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

politician, and Michigan pioneer. He was a member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

and House of Representatives, and served as the 16th speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1851.

Biography

Jefferson G. Thurber was born in

Unity, New Hampshire Unity is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,518 at the 2020 census, down from 1,671 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Unity, East Unity, Quaker City, and West Unity. History Prior ...

, and while a child moved to Canandaigua, New York, with his parents. He received his education at the

Canandaigua Academy Canandaigua Academy is a high school (grades 9-12) in Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is part of the Canandaigua City School District. The school was named a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education ...

, then taught Latin and mathematics while studying law. In 1833, he went west to the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

and started a legal practice in Monroe, where he resided for most of the rest of his life. He quickly became involved in politics, and was elected prosecuting attorney and then probate judge. In 1843, he was elected to the

and served three years as one of the representatives in the 3rd Senate district (in this era Michigan's senators were elected in multi-member districts). He was subsequently elected to a single term in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

, representing

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

in the 1851 session, and he was chosen as

speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

for that session. He was also a delegate to the

1856 Democratic National Convention The 1856 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that met from June 2 to June 6 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1856 election. ...

which nominated

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

over the incumbent, President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

. He died at his home in Monroe on May 6, 1857.

Personal life and family

Jefferson G. Thurber was the second child and eldest son of Samuel Hallet Thurber and his first wife, Sara (' Gage) Thurber. Several of Thurber's siblings also moved to Michigan and prospered. Jefferson Thurber married Mary Bartlett Gerrish in 1834, they had at least eight children, though two died in infancy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurber, Jefferson G. 1807 births 1857 deaths Democratic Party Michigan state senators Speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives People from Unity, New Hampshire People from Monroe, Michigan 19th-century American legislators People from Michigan Territory