Thomas Hanson Paynter (December 9, 1851March 8, 1921) was a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

. Born on a farm near

Vanceburg, Kentucky Vanceburg is a home rule-class city in Lewis County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,518 at the 2010 census and estimated in 2018 to be 1,395. It is the county seat of Lewis County. Vanceburg is part of the ...

, Paynter attended the common schools, Rand's Academy, and

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is a ...

. There he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1872, and commenced practice in

Greenup, Kentucky Greenup is a home rule-class city located at the confluence of the Little Sandy River with the Ohio River in Greenup County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,188 at the 2010 census. Greenup is one of three county seats in the Com ...

. He served as the

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

Greenup County, Kentucky Greenup County is a county located along the Ohio River in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,962. The county was founded in 1803 and named in honor of Christopher Greenup. Its co ...

from 1876 to 1882, and then resumed the practice of law in Greenup. Paynter was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Fifty-first, Fifty-second, and Fifty-third Congresses in 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 ...

, serving from March 4, 1889 until January 5, 1895. There he served as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department. He resigned in 1895, having been elected as a judge of the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. Th ...

, where he served from 1895 to 1906. He resigned from this position as well, having been elected a U.S. Senator. Paynter served in the Senate from March 4, 1907 to March 3, 1913. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1912. In the Senate he served as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee to Examine Branches of the Civil Service. After his career in politics, he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky in 1913 to continue the practice of law and follow agricultural pursuits. He died in Frankfort and was interred in the State Cemetery.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paynter, Thomas Hanson 1851 births 1921 deaths Burials at Frankfort Cemetery Kentucky state court judges Kentucky lawyers American prosecutors Centre College alumni Democratic Party United States senators from Kentucky People from Lewis County, Kentucky Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky People from Greenup, Kentucky People from Frankfort, Kentucky 19th-century American lawyers