John Tod (1779March 27, 1830) was an American judge and politician who served as a

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 ...

member of the

U.S. 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 ...

for

Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district is located in the northeastern region of the state. It encompasses all of Wayne, Pike, and Lackawanna Counties; along with portions of Luzerne and Monroe counties. The district had been anchored ...

from 1821 to 1823 and for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district from 1823 to 1824. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 14th district from 1815 to 1818 including as Speaker from 1815 to 1816 and as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1810 to 1813 including two terms as Speaker. He served as presiding judge of the

Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas In Pennsylvania, the courts of common pleas are the trial courts of the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania (the state court system). The courts of common pleas are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in the state. The name derives fro ...

for the 16th district from 1824 to 1827 and as an associate judge of the

Pennsylvania Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

from 1827 until his death in 1830.

Early years and education

In 1779, Tod was born in

Suffield, Connecticut Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It was once within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. As of the 2020 census, ...

and was educated in the common schools and at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

. He studied law under his brother George and received his legal certificate around 1799. He moved with his father to

Aquasco, Maryland Aquasco is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in southeastern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, surrounding the town of Eagle Harbor and bordering Charles County. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of ...

and began teaching as Assistant Master of Charlotte Hall. In 1802, he moved to

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough and spa town in and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,861 at the 2020 census. Hi ...

, was admitted to the bar in 1803 and commenced the practice of law. In 1805, he worked as postmaster of Bedford and served as a clerk to the county commissioners of Bedford County, Pennsylvania in 1806 and 1807.

Career

Tod was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1810 to 1813, serving twice as its Speaker. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 14th district from 1815 to 1818 including as Speaker from 1815 to 1816. In 1820–1821, he was elected to the Seventeenth and then later into the Eighteenth Congress and served until his resignation from Congress in 1824. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Manufactures United States House Committee on Manufactures was a standing committee of the U.S. House from 1819 to 1911. On December 8, 1819, an amendment was accepted in the House to separate the Committee on Commerce and Manufactures into the Committee on ...

during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Congresses. In March–April 1824, Tod was honored with a single vote at the

Democratic-Republican Party 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 earl ...

Caucus to be the party's candidate for U.S. Vice President at the election later that year. Tod served as presiding judge of the Pennsylvania Court of Common pleas for the sixteenth judicial district from 1824 from 1827 and as associate judge of the

from 1827 until his death in 1830. Tod died on March 27, 1830 at about the age of 50 in Bedford, Pennsylvania and is interred in Bedford Cemetery.

Personal life

In 1810, he married Mary Read Hanna, the daughter of U.S. Representative John A. Hanna, and together they had five children.

Footnotes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
, - , - 1779 births 1830 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians Pennsylvania postmasters Burials in Pennsylvania County clerks in Pennsylvania Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state senators People from Bedford, Pennsylvania People from Suffield, Connecticut Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Yale College alumni {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub Politicians from Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Early years and education

Career

Personal life

See also

Footnotes

Sources