Thomas Jefferson Henderson (November 29, 1824 – February 6, 1911) was a U.S. Representative from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

and a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

Biography

Born in

Brownsville, Tennessee Brownsville is a city in and the county seat of Haywood County, Tennessee, United States, located in the western Its population as of the 2010 census was 10,292, with a decrease to 9,788 at the 2020 census. The city is named after General Jacob J ...

, Henderson moved with his parents to Illinois at the age of eleven. He served as clerk of the Board of Commissioners of

Stark County, Illinois Stark County is in Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 5,994. Its county seat is Toulon. Stark County is part of the Peoria, IL Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Stark County was formed in 1839 out of Knox a ...

from 1847 to 1849. and as clerk of the court of Stark County from 1849 to 1853. He studied law, 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 1852 and commenced practice in Toulon, Illinois. Henderson served as a member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1855 and 1856 and then as a member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

(1857–1860). He entered the

in 1862 as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

of the

112th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 112th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was organized at Peoria in September 1862 and garrisoned places in Kentucky until Spring 1863. Beginning in April 1863, the regimen ...

and fought in the

siege of Knoxville The siege of Knoxville (November 19 – December 4, 1863) saw Lieutenant General James Longstreet's Confederate forces besiege the Union garrison of Knoxville, Tennessee, led by Major General Ambrose Burnside. When Major General William T. Sh ...

and Atlanta Campaign being wounded at the

Battle of Resaca The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The batt ...

. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps, from August 12, 1864. He was brevetted

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

in January 1865 and led his brigade at the

Battle of Wilmington The Battle of Wilmington was fought February 11–22, 1865, during the American Civil War, mostly outside the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, between the opposing Union and Confederate Departments of North Carolina. The Union victory in Ja ...

. With the war's end, Henderson resumed the practice of law and moved to

Princeton, Illinois Princeton is a city in and the county seat of Bureau County, Illinois, Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,832 at the 2020 census. Princeton is part of the Ottawa, Illinois, Ottawa Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

, in 1867. He was appointed collector of internal revenue for the fifth district of Illinois in 1871. Henderson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Forty-fourth and to the nine succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1895). He served as chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs ( Forty-seventh Congress), and of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors ( Fifty-first Congress). He also served as chairman of the Republican conference in the House. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1894. He was appointed to the board of managers for the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in 1896. He was appointed civilian member on the Board of Ordnance and Fortifications in 1900 and served until his death in Washington, D.C. on February 6, 1911. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Thomas Jefferson 1824 births 1911 deaths Union Army colonels Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians People from Brownsville, Tennessee