Thomas Welles Bartley (also known as Thomas W. Bartley) (February 11, 1812 – June 20, 1885) was an American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. He served as the 17th

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Bartley was succeeded in office by his father, Mordecai Bartley, one of only a few instances of this occurring in high elected office in the United States.

Biography

Bartley was born in

Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was vice president at the time of its creation. ...

. As a child he moved to

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...

with his family. Bartley attended Jefferson College and graduated in 1829. He studied law with

Jacob Parker Jacob Parker (born July 9, 1993) is an American basketball player. He competed collegiately for the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. Parker was named Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2014.Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...

, and studied law with

Elijah Hayward Elijah Hayward (November 17, 1786 – September 22, 1864) was a lawyer in the U.S. State of Ohio who represented his county in the Ohio House of Representatives, sat on the Ohio Supreme Court for a short time, and was Commissioner of the Ge ...

in Washington, D.C.. Bartley was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1833, and began practice in Mansfield.

Career

Bartley served in the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

from 1839–1841 and then in the

Ohio State Senate The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the s ...

from 1841-1845. He was elected Speaker of the Senate in 1843. When Wilson Shannon resigned as governor on April 15, 1844, to take a diplomatic appointment as United States ambassador to Mexico, Bartley became Governor while concurrently remaining in the Senate. He served out the remainder of Shannon's term until December 3. Bartley sought renomination under the Democratic Party, but lost at the state convention by a single vote - avoiding a contest against his father, who accepted the Whig nomination. Bartley later served a contentious term on the Ohio State Supreme Court from 1852-1859. Bartley lived in

, and moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

to practice law in 1863, and in 1867 to Washington, D.C., where he died in 1885. He was interred at Glenwood Cemetery.

Family life

Thomas Wells Bartley grave south side - Glenwood Cemetery - 2014-09-14

On October 9, 1837, Bartley married his first wife, Julia Maria Larwill, in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at ...

. Bartley married his second wife, Susan D. Sherman (October 10, 1825– January 10, 1876), sister of

John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He also served as ...

and General

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

, on November 7, 1848,. Ellen McCoy, widow of one of General Sherman's staff officers, was his third wife.

Death

Bartley was buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartley, Thomas W. 1812 births 1885 deaths Democratic Party governors of Ohio Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Presidents of the Ohio State Senate Democratic Party Ohio state senators Washington & Jefferson College alumni Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court Politicians from Mansfield, Ohio Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) United States Attorneys for the District of Ohio People from Jefferson County, Ohio 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges