Thomas Boston Gordon (February 4, 1816 – January 25, 1891) was an American educator, attorney, and county judge in Kentucky. He was a founding member of

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, , it consist ...

national fraternity.

Biography

Gordon was born in

Elbert County, Georgia Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,637. The county seat is Elberton. The county was established on December 10, 1790, and was named for Samue ...

. He attended

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

, receiving an A.B. in 1840 and an A.M. in 1841 or 1845. While there, he and seven other male students formed

national fraternity at

on August 8, 1839. He was the fraternity's second president. In April 1840, he was part of the committee that formed the fraternity's ''Beta chapter'' at the University of Cincinnati. He was also a member of the Erodelphian Literary Society.

Career

From 1841 to 1843, Gordon was the principal of the Collingsworth Institute near Talbotton, Georgia. In November 1845, he represented

Monroe County, Georgia Monroe County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,957. The county seat is Forsyth. The county was created on May 15, 1821. The county was named for James Monro ...

in the Democratic Convention of the Third Congressional District. He studied law in Forsythe, Georgia and was admnitted to the

State Bar of Georgia The State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in the State of Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia. The State Bar w ...

in February 1842 and began practicing law. Gordon was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1847. Gordon began practicing law in

Owingsville, Kentucky Owingsville is a home rule-class city in Bath County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,530 during the year 2010 U.S. Census. It is the county seat and is located roughly at the county's center, at the junction of US 60 an ...

by 1850. He was elected a judge in

Bath County, Kentucky Bath County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,750. The county seat is Owingsville. The county was formed in 1811. Bath County is included in the Mount Sterling, KY Micropolitan ...

from 1854 to 1858. Thomas_Boston_Gordon_1886

During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he enrolled in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

in 1861 at the age of 45, along with his sons John and Angus who were fifteen and sixteen years old, respectively. Gordon initially served with Company C, 5th Kentucky Infantry. He became a captain in the First Kentucky Brigade, also known as the

Orphan Brigade The Orphan Brigade was the nickname of the First Kentucky Brigade, a group of military units recruited from Kentucky to fight for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The brigade was the largest Confederate unit to be ...

when Company C was transferred in the spring of 1863. However, he was transferred to a command in the cavalry.Thompson, Edwin Porter (1898).
History of the Orphan Brigade
'. Louisville, Kentucky: L N Thompson. p. 706. via Internet Archive By January 1, 1865, Gordon has signed a bond, committing to peace and honoring the laws of the United States. After the war, Gordon returned to Owingsville and the education profession. He took a position with a school in Pinckard Station in Woodford County and became the principal of Smithfield College in Smithfield in 1876. He retired from teaching in 1879.

Personal life

Gordon married Frances Greer of Forsythe, Georgia on June 11, 1845. They moved to a farm in Bath County, Kentucky in 1848. They had six children, including Thomas R. Gordon who became a judge, Angus Neal Gordon who was a college professor, and Fannie I. Gordon who was a high school teacher. Gordon was a Mason, serving as the master of the Maury Lodge in 1852. After he retired, Gordan and his wife moved to Fayette County; he spent his latter days in

Nicholasville, Kentucky Nicholasville is a home rule city in and the county seat of Jessamine County, Kentucky, Jessamine County, Kentucky. The population was 31,490 during the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, making Nicholasville the 10th-largest settlemen ...

, near Lexington. In 1891, Gordon died from paralysis in the Lexington home of his son, Angus. He is buried in the Lexington Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Thomas Boston 1816 births 1891 deaths Miami University alumni Beta Theta Pi founders Confederate States Army officers 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American educators American Freemasons Burials at Lexington Cemetery

Biography

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links