Thomas Richard Whitney (May 2, 1807 – April 12, 1858) was a nineteenth-century politician and writer from New York.

Biography

Born in New York City, New York, Whitney was the son of a

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

. He pursued classical studies and worked as a

jeweler A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabrica ...

, engraver and

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...

before turning to journalism and politics as editor of the ''New York Sunday Times''. He later published his own paper, the ''Sunday Morning News'', and a magazine, ''The Republic''. He was a member of the Silver Gray (pro-

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

and anti-

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

) faction of the Whig Party, and served as Clerk of the city's Board of Assistant Aldermen. He ran unsuccessfully for the New York State Assembly in 1852. He served as a Whig member of the New York State Senate (4th D.) in

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The ...

and

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River open ...

. He later became a member of the American Party, also called the Know Nothing Party, and authored 1856's popular ''A Defence of the American Policy'', a book which provided an explanation of the Know Nothing platform and policy objectives. As a Know Nothing, in 1854 Whitney was elected to the 34th United States Congress, and he served from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1857. During the extended balloting for

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 ...

in December 1855, Whitney consistently received one vote, that of Henry Mills Fuller. Whitney became ill during his term in Congress, and traveled to

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

in an effort to regain his health. He died in New York City on April 12, 1858, about three weeks after returning home. He was interred in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Works

* ''The Young Draftsman's Companion'' (1830) * ''Evening Hours'' (Poetry anthology) (1844) * ''The Ambuscade'', a poem (New York, 1845) * ''A Defence of the American Policy as opposed to the Encroachments of Foreign Influence, and especially to the Interference of the

Papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

'' (1856)

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitney, Thomas R 1807 births 1858 deaths New York (state) Whigs Know-Nothing members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American journalists American male journalists Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Journalists from New York City