Thomas McLelland Browne (April 19, 1829 – July 17, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as a

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

and 6th congressional district.

Early life and education

Born in New Paris, Ohio, Browne moved to Indiana in January 1844. He attended the common schools. He moved to

Winchester, Indiana Winchester is a city in White River Township, Randolph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Randolph County. It is the home of Winchester Speedway. History Winchester ...

, in 1848.

Career

He studied law and 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 1849 and commenced practice in Winchester. Browne was elected prosecuting attorney for the thirteenth judicial circuit in 1855 and was reelected in 1857 and 1859. He was named secretary of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

in 1861 and served as a member in 1863. Browne assisted in organizing the 7th Indiana Cavalry Regiment of the

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

, and went to the field with that regiment as captain of Company B on August 28, 1863. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel on October 1, 1863. He was promoted to colonel on October 10, 1865, and subsequently brevetted a brigadier general to date from March 13, 1865. After the war, he mustered out of the Army on February 18, 1866. He was appointed United States attorney for the District of Indiana in April 1869 and served until his resignation August 1, 1872. In 1872 he ran against

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

for the Republican nomination for governor of Indiana. He won the nomination but was defeated in the general election by the Democratic candidate,

Thomas A. Hendricks Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819November 25, 1885) was an American politician and lawyer from Indiana who served as the 16th governor of Indiana from 1873 to 1877 and the 21st vice president of the United States from March until his ...

. He served as a delegate to the 1876 Republican National Convention. Browne 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

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

, where he served from March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1891. He served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions ( Forty-seventh Congress), Committee on Revision of the Laws ( Fifty-first Congress). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890.

Death

Browne died in

, on July 17, 1891. He was interred in Fountain Park Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Thomas Mclelland People from Winchester, Indiana People from New Paris, Ohio Republican Party Indiana state senators United States Attorneys for the District of Indiana American Disciples of Christ People of Indiana in the American Civil War 1829 births 1891 deaths Union Army generals 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana