Thomas Child Jr. (March 18, 1818 – March 9, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician. Originally from Bakersfield, Vermont, he graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in 1838 and became an attorney in

Berkshire, Vermont Berkshire is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2020 census. It contains the unincorporated village of East Berkshire. Geography Berkshire is located in northeastern Franklin County. Its northern ...

. Child later relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and he was a longtime resident of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. Originally a Whig, he served one term as in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

, March 4, 1855 to March 3, 1857. After the end of the Whig Party, Child became a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, but joined the Republican Party because of his stance in favor of the Union during the

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

. He went on to serve as

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

of Northfield, New York from 1863 to 1864, and a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1866.

Life

Thomas Child Jr. was born in

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

on March 18, 1818, a son of attorney Thomas Child (1779-1862) and Lydia Adams Child (1780-1853). Child attended the common schools and entered the

at the age of fourteen. He graduated in 1838, and served the same year as a member of the State constitutional convention.

Legal career

Child studied law with his father, 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 September 1839, and commenced practice in

. He was a partner of Homer E. Royce, who had also studied with Timothy Child Sr., and served as a justice of the peace beginning in 1840. He moved to

in 1848 and engaged in the distilling business.

Congress

Child was elected as a Whig to the

34th United States Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855 ...

, for the term beginning on March 4, 1855, but never took his seat due to illness. On March 3, 1857, the last day of the session, the House resolved that his salary be paid to him from August 18, 1856 to March 3, 1857, as "though he had been in regular attendance at the sittings of the House".

Later career

He moved to Port Richmond on

, in 1857 and retired from active business. After the demise of the Whigs, Child became a

, but his pro- Union position during the

caused him to identify with the Republican Party. He was

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

of Northfield from 1863 to 1864. He was a member of the

(Richmond County) in

1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...

Death and burial

Child died in Port Richmond on March 9, 1869. He was buried at

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope, Brooklyn, South Slope/Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn, Win ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Child, Thomas Jr. 1818 births 1869 deaths 19th-century American lawyers New York (state) Democrats Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) lawyers People from Bakersfield, Vermont Politicians from Staten Island Town supervisors in New York (state) University of Vermont alumni Vermont lawyers Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives