Thomas Alexander Boyd (June 25, 1830 – May 28, 1897) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Biography

Born near

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Gettysbu ...

, Boyd attended the public schools. He was graduated from Marshall College,

Mercersburg, Pennsylvania Mercersburg is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is southwest of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, the state capital. Due to its location in a rural area, it had a relatively la ...

, in 1848. He studied law in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, Franklin County, in the South Central Pennsylvania, South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Gre ...

. He 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 ...

and commenced practice in

Bedford, Pennsylvania Bedford is a borough, spa town, and the county seat of Bedford County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is located west of Harrisburg, the state capital, and east of Pittsburgh. Bedford's population was 2,865 at the 2020 census. History ...

. He moved to

Lewistown, Illinois Lewistown is a city and the county seat of Fulton County, Illinois, United States. It was named by its founder, Ossian M. Ross, after his oldest son, Lewis Winans Ross. The population was 2,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Loca ...

, in 1856 and engaged in the practice of law until 1861. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

enlisted in the Seventeenth Regiment, Illinois Infantry, in 1861 and obtained the commission of captain. He served as member of the State senate in 1866 and was reelected in 1870. Boyd was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth and Forty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1880. He resumed the practice of law. He died in

, May 28, 1897. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Thomas Alexander 1830 births 1897 deaths American people of Scottish descent Politicians from Adams County, Pennsylvania Union army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Republican Party Illinois state senators People from Lewistown, Illinois Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from Illinois 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly