Thomas G. Talmage
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Thomas Goyn Talmage (October 22, 1801 – May 4, 1863) was an American politician and Mayor of Brooklyn.


Early life

Talmage was born on October 22, 1801, in
Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
family. Among his sisters was Mertine Talmaage, the wife of Edward Patterson and mother of Judge Edward Patterson. Through his brother David Thomas Talmage, he was uncle to clergyman
Thomas De Witt Talmage Thomas De Witt Talmage (January 7, 1832April 12, 1902) was a preacher, clergyman and divine in the United States who held pastorates in the Reformed Church in America and Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most prominent religious leaders in ...
and
John Van Nest Talmage John Van Nest Talmage (18 August 1819 – 19 August 1892), was a Protestant Christian missionary to Amoy, Fujian, China. He was sent by the Reformed Church in America from 1847 to 1890. Biography His younger brother Thomas De Witt Talmage was a ...
. His father was the fourth son of Maj. Thomas Talmage and Mary ( McCoy) Talmage.


Career

In 1819, Talmage moved 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 began working as a clerk for merchant Abraham Van Ness. From 1823 to 1836, he worked in the wholesale grocery business. In 1827, he was elected
Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
of the First Ward as 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 ...
. He initially resided on Stone Street. In 1832, he moved to
Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
in the Ninth Ward. He served in 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
1837 Events January–March * January 1 – The destructive Galilee earthquake causes thousands of deaths in Ottoman Syria. * January 26 – Michigan becomes the 26th state admitted to the United States. * February 4 – Seminoles attack Fo ...
as a New York County representative. From 1838 to 1839, he was a member of the New York City Common Council and served as President of the Board of Aldermen. In 1840, Talmage moved to
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 ...
. He served in that city's board of aldermen from 1842 to 1845, first representing the 8th Ward and then the 6th Ward. In 1845, he was elected
Mayor of 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 ...
, and under his mayoral administration, the Brooklyn City Hall was built. In 1846, Governor
Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...
appointed him
County Judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civi ...
. He later became Loan Commissioner of the United States Deposit Fund for Kings County. In the late 1850s, he was an early and major promoter of
Prospect Park Prospect Park may refer to: Businesses * Prospect Park (production company), entertainment production company *Prospect Park Productions NZ, theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand Places New Zealand * Prospect Park, New Zealand, a portion ...
, managed to get the State Legislature to support the creation of the park, and was one of the first three park commissioners. After his third marriage, he moved to
Gowanus Gowanus ( ) is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community District 6. Gowanus is bounded by Wyckoff Street o ...
, a neighborhood he helped develop as Mayor. He became President of the Broadway Rail Road Company in 1858, and was a member of the Chamber of Commerce.


Personal life

In 1823, Talmage married Dorothy Miller (1805–1834), daughter of Col. David Miller and a sister of
U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
from New Jersey, Jacob W. Miller. Their children were: * Mary Louise Talmage. * David Miller Talmage (1827–1900), who married Sarah Jane Stone, a daughter of Jonas Stone, in 1846. * William H. Talmage (1829–1873), who married Isabella W. Carothers, a daughter of Jesse Carothers, in 1853. * Tunis Van Pelt Talmage (1832–1909), who served as
supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...
, alderman, and assemblyman, and was twice an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor. In 1835, he married his second wife, Sarah Maria Van Brunt (1808–1843), a daughter of Cornelius Van Brunt and Jannetje ( Adriance) Van Brunt. Their children were: * Thomas Adriance Talmage (1837–1861), who married Mary J. Davidson in 1860. * Jane Elizabeth Talmage (1839–1930), who married the Rev. Henry V. Voorhees in 1859. After Sarah died in 1843, he married his third wife, Harriet ( Jarolemon) Stone (d. 1892), daughter of wealthy Judge Tunis Jarolemon and widow of Jonas Stone, in 1848. Harriet was the mother of Sarah Jane Stone, the wife of Talmage's eldest son David. They had one child: * Frederick Tunis Talmage (1849–1874). Talmage died at his home in Brooklyn from
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
on May 4, 1863. He was buried in
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 ...
.


References


External links

*
The Political Graveyard
'
Thomas G. Talmage
at '' Find a Grave'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Talmage, Thomas G. 1801 births 1863 deaths Politicians from Somerville, New Jersey New York City Council members Mayors of Brooklyn Politicians from Manhattan Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Greenwich Village Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature