Charles M. Thomas (c. 1844/1846 – September 5, 1895)"Death of Judge Thomas", ''The Black Hills Weekly Journal'' (September 6, 1895), p. 2. was a justice of the

Dakota Territorial Supreme Court The Dakota Territorial Supreme Court was the highest court of the Dakota Territory, then an organized incorporated territory of the United States. It was the first Territorial Supreme Court in American history, and was established under Article One ...

from 1886 to 1889.The South Dakota Supreme Court: A Photographic History
(2015), p. 3. Born in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, at the age of sixteen he enlisted 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 ...

and served throughout the war. Afterwards, he took up the study of law and became prominent as a lawyer in Kentucky, making his home in

Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...

. He served for several years as county judge of

Warren County, Kentucky Warren County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 134,554, making it the fifth-most populous county in Kentucky. The county seat is Bowling Green. Warren ...

."Judge Church's Successor", ''Black Hills Weekly Times'' (July 31, 1886), p. 3. In 1886, with the support of Representative John Edward Halsell and Senator

W. Jasper Blackburn William Jasper Blackburn (July 24, 1820 – November 10, 1899) was an American printer, publisher and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from northwestern Louisiana from July 18, 1868, to March 3, 1869. A Re ...

, Thomas was nominated by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

to serve as judge of the first judicial district under the territorial organization. Thomas presided over the courts held in the territory for three years. On the admission of the state into the union he was elected judge of the eighth judicial circuit and served for four years. He was a candidate for re-election but the election resulted in his retirement from the bench. Thomas died of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

at the age of 49 in Chicago, where he had gone about a month before for medical treatment. His remains were taken to Bowling Green for burial.

References

1840s births 1895 deaths People from Kentucky Kentucky state court judges United States Article I federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland Justices of the Dakota Territorial Supreme Court South Dakota state court judges {{SouthDakota-state-judge-stub