Thomas McCarthy (May 10, 1786 – January 30, 1848) was nominated as the first Mayor of

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, in January 1848 and was veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

.History of Syracuse General Scrapbook, Vol. 20, pages 7-9, Onondaga Historical Association He was an influential citizen in early

Onondaga County Onondaga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state. Onondaga County is the core of the ...

, New York and the father of Congressman Dennis McCarthy. He died days before receiving word he was nominated to be the first Mayor of Syracuse and thus never served.Titus Jr., L. J., 2004, ''Titus - A North American Family History'', Baltimore, MD, p. 599

Biography

Born in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, son of Dennis McCarthy and Elizabeth McSweeney, he was bound as an apprentice

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

at the age of 14. In 1808, after being freed from his apprenticeship, he went to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with his brother John McCarthy. McCarthy settled in Salt Point,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

where he opened a small store and manufactured salt.Family Bible of

Dennis McCarthy (congressman) Dennis McCarthy (March 19, 1814 – February 14, 1886) was an American manufacturer and politician from New York. Life He was the son of Thomas McCarthy. He attended Valley Academy in Salina and engaged in the manufacturing of salt. In the ear ...

, 1901 He served in the War of 1812 and later became a rich and influential man in Onondaga County and helped to found the first

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church in the county as well as the Bank of Salina. He married Percy Soule in 1812 in

Salina, New York Salina is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,223. The name of the town is derived from the Latin word for "salt." Salina is a northern suburb of Syracuse. History The region was i ...

, and had several children, including

and Eliza McCarthy, wife of

Silas Titus Silas Titus (May 30, 1811 – October 4, 1899) was a military officer who fought in the American Civil War in the Union Army. He was active in the organization of the city of Syracuse, New York, and served as an alderman for two years and as a ...

. In 1847 he traveled to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

to recover from an illness. He died on January 30, 1848, just days before a letter arrived nominating him to be the first Mayor of Syracuse, New York.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Thomas 1786 births 1848 deaths Politicians from County Cork Politicians from Syracuse, New York Irish emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Syracuse, New York 19th-century American businesspeople