Thomas Griffin (1773 – October 7, 1837) was an eighteenth and nineteenth century politician, planter, lawyer and judge from

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 ...

Early and family life

Born in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

to Dr. Corbin Griffin and his wife. His ancestors journeyed to the colony nearly a century earlier, and settled on Virginia's Northern Neck, as well as in the Yorktown/Williamsburg area (the colony's capital as the conflict began). His namesake, Thomas Griffin, was the son of Col. Leroy Griffin of Richmond County, and began the family's political prominence when he served as a burgess in 1718-1723. His father was a prominent local patriot during the

American Revolutionary War 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 ...

: as a member of the York County Committee of Safety (1775-1776), and then as surgeon in the Virginia line. Meanwhile, young Thomas remained received a private education suitable to his class, then studied law. He married his cousin Mary, daughter of prominent lawyer and patriot, then U.S. District Judge

Cyrus Griffin Cyrus Griffin (July 16, 1748 – December 14, 1810) was an American lawyer and politician, who served as the final President of the Congress of the Confederation and first United States district judge of the United States District Court for the ...

Career

After being admitted to the Virginia bar, Griffin practiced law, as well as operated a plantation using enslaved labor. In the last census before his death, he owned 29 enslaved people, and his household also included a free Black woman of between 24 and 35 years old. Voters in York County first elected Griffin as one of their two representatives in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 1793, and he won re-election each year until 1800. During this part-time legislative service, Griffin also accepted an appointment as a justice of the court of

oyer and terminer In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French , which literally means 'to hear and to determine') was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the commission was also ...

on October 17, 1796, serving until 1810. In 1802, Congressman John Stratton having announced his retirement, Griffin won election as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to 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 ...

in 1802, serving from 1803 to 1805. Democratic Republican

Burwell Bassett Burwell Bassett, Jr. (March 18, 1764 – February 26, 1841) was an American planter and politician from New Kent County and for two decades from Williamsburg in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like his father, he served in both chambers of the ...

defeated him in 1804 (and would win re-election several times. Griffin was then appointed chief justice of the

Court of Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

in Yorktown on September 1, 1805, serving until 1810 when he became a justice of the York County Court, serving as this until 1812. During 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 ...

, British ships threatened the Hampton Roads area. Griffin served as a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of Infantry, and was second in command during the Battle of Hampton. After the war, Griffin again became a justice of the court of

, this time as chairman of the court, serving from 1814 to 1820. In 1819, voters again elected Griffin as one of their representatives in the

, and re-elected him, so he served from 1819 to 1823. He again won election and re-election from 1827 to 1830,Leonard pp. 341, 346, 351 but following the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830, the Tidewater area lost representatives and more were allocated to western Virginia, so the York County district was merged with neighboring James City County.

Death and legacy

Griffin died at "The Mansion" near

on October 7, 1837.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Thomas 1773 births 1837 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Virginia state court judges People from Virginia in the War of 1812 Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 18th-century American lawyers 19th-century American lawyers People from Yorktown, Virginia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly