Samuel Russell Thomas (April 27, 1840 – January 11, 1903) was an American capitalist and

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 ...

general during the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life

Thomas was born on April 27, 1840, in South Point in Lawrence County, Ohio. He was a son of Captain James Thomas (d. 1842) and his wife, a daughter of Captain John Callihan, a

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

soldier. His parents were originally from Virginia and were among the early settlers, in 1807, of the region between the Kanawha and

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Career

After limited schooling in

Marietta Marietta may refer to: Places in the United States *Marietta, Jacksonville, Florida *Marietta, Georgia, the largest US city named Marietta *Marietta, Illinois *Marietta, Indiana *Marietta, Kansas *Marietta, Minnesota *Marietta, Mississippi *Mar ...

, he began his career as a junior clerk with the Keystone Iron Company in

Jackson, Ohio Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States approximately 27 mi (43 km) SE of Chillicothe. The population was 6,239 at the 2020 census. History Established in 1817, residents named the to ...

, where he learned the engineering of mining.

U.S. Civil War

An ardent Republican upon the forming of the party, Thomas enlisted during the

as a Second Lieutenant in the

27th Ohio Infantry The 27th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 27th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio July 15 through August 18, 1861, and mustered in for ...

of the

in July 1861. For three years, he served under Col.

John W. Fuller John Wallace Fuller (July 28, 1827 – March 12, 1891) was a England, British-born Americans, American publisher, businessman, and soldier. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war ...

in the "Ohio Brigade" and was successively promoted "for gallant and meritorious" to Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel, and Colonel before being

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

ted a

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 appointed ...

. Thomas mostly participated in the south and west under Grant and Sherman during the War, including at the Battles of Pittsburgh Landing,

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

and

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

. He was known for leading the first black Union troops, the 63rd and 64th

United States Colored Infantry The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

, into battle. Thomas was in the rear with the reserve forces during General Sherman's March to the Sea. For one year after the war during the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

, he was in charge of the Freedman's and Abandoned Land and Property Departments in Mississippi. He was an Adjutant General on the staff of Oliver Otis Howard until January 1867 when he was honorably mustered out of the army.

Later career

After the war, he moved to Zanesville, Ohio, and entered the industrial sector, first as a

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...

and railroad supplies manufacturer. In 1869, he moved into

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

when the

Hocking Valley The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...

coal mines opened, and eventually moved into railroads in 1878. He began constructing railroads in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Nebraska, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. From 1878 until March 1882, he variously served as vice president and president of the Creek Valley Railroad, a director and general manager of the

New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York, Pennsylvan ...

(known as the

Nickel Plate Road The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad , abbreviated NYC&St.L, was a railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. Commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road", the railroad served parts of the states of New York (state), Ne ...

). Beginning in 1882, he served as the president of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company and was a director of the Lake Erie and Western Railroad, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, and the Marquette, Houghton and Ontonagon Railroad, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and the Richmond and Danville Railroad, the latter two later became the Southern Railway.

Personal life

In September 1872, Thomas was married to Ann Augusta Porter (1847–1944), a daughter of Carson Porter, a prominent citizen of Zanesville. Together, they were the parents of the following children: *

Edward Russell Thomas Edward Russell Thomas (December 30, 1875 – July 6, 1926) was an American businessman and sportsman. Early life and education Edward Russell Thomas was born in Columbus, Ohio on December 30, 1875. He was a son of Ann Augusta (née Porter) Thomas ...

(1873–1926), a banker and owner of the ''

New York Morning Telegraph ''The Morning Telegraph'' (1839 – April 10, 1972) (sometimes referred to as the ''New York Morning Telegraph'') was a New York City broadsheet newspaper owned by Moe Annenberg's Cecelia Corporation. It was first published as the '' Sunday ...

'', who married three times, first to

Linda Lee Thomas Linda Lee Thomas (November 17, 1883 – May 20, 1954) was an American socialite and the wife of musical theatre composer Cole Porter. First marriage She was born Linda Belle Lee to the prominent Lee family of Virginia. Her father was Louisville ...

, then to Elizabeth Finley, and lastly, to actress

Lucy Cotton Lucy Cotton (August 29, 1895 – 12 December 1948) was an American actress who appeared in 12 films between 1910 and 1921. Biography Cotton was born in Houston, Texas, United States and died in Miami Beach, Florida. * Harold Edgell Thomas, a physician who married a widow, Ada Blande, to his father's dismay. * Eleanor Nancy Thomas (1878–1920), who married Robert Livingston Beeckman, the

Governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

from 1915 to 1921. He was a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Riding Club, the Southern Club, the

Union League Club The Union League Club is a private social club in New York City that was founded in 1863 in affiliation with the Union League. Its fourth and current clubhouse is located at 38 East 37th Street on the corner of Park Avenue, in the Murray Hill ...

, the Country Club, the Ohio Club, the

Lotos Club The Lotos Club was founded in 1870 as a gentlemen's club in New York City; it has since also admitted women as members. Its founders were primarily a young group of writers and critics. Mark Twain, an early member, called it the "Ace of Clubs". ...

, the Lawyers' Club and the Jekyl Island Club. Thomas died of heart disease at his home, 17

West 57th Street 57th Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan, one of the major two-way, east-west streets in the borough's grid. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided into its east and west sections at ...

in New York City, on January 11, 1903. At his death, his estate was estimated to be $10,000,000 (equivalent to $ today). His executors (including

George Macculloch Miller George Macculloch Miller (May 4, 1832 – November 14, 1917), was a prominent lawyer and secretary of Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Early life George Macculloch Miller was born in 1832 in Morristown, New Jersey. He was a son of politician ...

) were instructed to invest $100,000 (equivalent to $ today) and pay the income to his son Harold because in his will, Thomas stated: "I make no further provision for my son Harold because his condition, mentally and physically, is such that he is incapable of managing his own affairs." Upon his widow's death in 1944, she left her estate to son Dr. Harold E. Thomas, and not to her late son Edward's children Samuel and Lucetta, "because, in my opinion, each of them is adequately provide for financially".

Legacy

Thomasville, Alabama is named after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Samuel Russell 1840 births 1903 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American railroad executives Businesspeople from Ohio Ohio Republicans People from Lawrence County, Ohio People of Ohio in the American Civil War Union Army generals