Thomas Glascock Jr. (October 21, 1790 – May 19, 1841) was an American politician, soldier and lawyer. His wife was Catherine Rector.

Early years

Thomas Glascock, Jr. was born in Augusta,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

on October 21, 1790, seven years after the end of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He studied law, gained admission to the state bar, and began practicing law in a career path that would underpin his later political service. Both his father and grandfather had distinguished themselves in military and political service to the new United States. Brigadier General Thomas Glascock Sr. rescued Count Casimir Pulaski from the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

, while serving in Georgia in the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. General Glascock's subsequent appointment as ''Marshal of Georgia'' was conferred upon him by President

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

on May 31, 1794. Thomas Jr's grandfather was Colonel William Glascock, who was acting governor of Georgia for a period during the American Revolution at Augusta. President George Washington stayed with William at the Glascock family plantation in Augusta during his presidency.

Military service

Glascock was as a captain of Volunteers in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. He was subsequently commissioned as a brigadier general in the

Georgia Militia The Georgia Militia existed from 1733 to 1879. It was originally planned by General James Oglethorpe before the founding of the Province of Georgia, the Crown colony that would become the U.S. state of Georgia. One reason for the founding of the c ...

and served in the

First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

in 1817. During that campaign, he served under General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, later President of the United States. When President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

visited Augusta in 1819, Major General Valentine Walker and General Thomas Glascock took him on a tour of the U.S. Arsenal being constructed beside the Savannah River.

Political office

At the age of 18, Glascock was a delegate to the constitutional convention in 1798. Political offices held by Glascock include the

Georgia State House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

(1812, 1817, 1821, 1823, 1831, 1834, 1839) where he also served as speaker in 1833 and 1834. Upon the resignation of John W. A. Sanford, Glascock was elected to fill Sanford's seat 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 ...

and was reelected in 1836. During his congressional tenure, Glascock served as the chairman of the Committee on Militia.

Death and legacy

After his political career, Glascock lived in

Decatur, Georgia Decatur () is a city and the county seat of DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, th ...

and died in that city in 1841. He was buried in the City Cemetery in his birthplace of Augusta.

Glascock County, Georgia Glascock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,884, making it the fourth-least populous county in Georgia. The county seat is Gibson. The county was created on December 19, 1857. ...

is named in his honor.

References

External links