Thomas Beale Dorsey (October 17, 1780 – December 26, 1855) was an American farmer, lawyer, politician and judge in

Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, whi ...

and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Early life

Thomas Beale Dorsey was born on October 17, 1780, in

Anne Arundel County, Maryland Anne Arundel County (; ), also notated as AA or A.A. County, is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 588,261, an increase of just under 10% since 2010. Its county seat is Annapolis, wh ...

to Comfort Worthington Dorsey and John Worthington Dorsey. He attended St. John's College in Annapolis.

Career

In 1807, Dorsey became a member of the Baltimore City house of delegates. He was a member of the Committee of Grievances and Courts of Justice, Committee on Laws to Expire, Committee to Consider and Report on the Communication from the Governors of New Jersey and Delaware, and the Committee to Examine Laws of Maryland Regulating the Election of Members of Congress. In 1811, Dorsey was appointed to be the U.S. District Attorney for Maryland. Following his term, he was elected to the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

representing Anne Arundel County as a Democratic-Republican in 1813, but was defeated in his 1814 election. In 1816 and 1821, he became a senatorial elector for Anne Arundel County. He attained the position of

Attorney General of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qua ...

in 1822, a post he held until 1824. In 1824, he was appointed as Chief Judge, First Judicial District. He remained as an associate judge for the Maryland Court of Appeals until 1848, when he became the chief judge until 1851. After 1851, he was on the board of directors of the

Patapsco Female Institute Patapsco Female Institute (PFI) is a former girls' boarding school, now a partially rebuilt historical site, located on Church Road in Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. The grounds are home to popular outdoor theatrical performances by The C ...

. Dorsey is credited in his efforts to convert the Howard District of Anne Arundel into Howard County. His son, John Thomas Beale, maintained a Howard County Farm, but served for the southern confederacy. He was also the father of Samuel Worthington Dorsey. Dorsey lived at Mt. Hebron, a stone home built by his father in 1808. Dorsey operated a farm at the location with 49 slaves listed in the 1840 census. As a tobacco farmer, his products were the highest quality of the time fetching a record 319 pounds Sterling at Elkridge Landing for a 707lb hogshead in 1824.

Mount Hebron High School Mount Hebron High School is a public high school located in Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Howard County Public School System. About the school Mt. Hebron opened in 1965 as a junior high school. When Patapsco Middle ...

, built in 1966, is named after the manor. Dorsey died on December 26, 1855. He was buried in St. John's Churchyard in Ellicott City, Maryland.

References

* Nellie Arnold Plummer, ''Out of the Depths, Or, The Triumph of the Cross'', G.K. Hall (1927) - written by the daughter of Adam and Emily Plummer, former slaves at Mt. Hebron. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dorsey, Thomas 1780 births 1855 deaths Maryland Attorneys General Baltimore City Council members Members of the Maryland House of Delegates United States Attorneys for the District of Maryland Judges of the Maryland Court of Appeals Maryland Democratic-Republicans People from Anne Arundel County, Maryland People from Ellicott City, Maryland 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges Dorsey family of Maryland

Early life

Career

See also

References