Thomas Holdsworth Blake (June 14, 1792 – November 28, 1849) was an American politician who served as a

United States Representative 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 ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1827 to 1829.

Biography

Born in

Calvert County, Maryland Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltim ...

, Blake attended the public schools, and studied law in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

War of 1812

During his time in Washington, he served as a member of the militia of the District of Columbia which took part in the

Battle of Bladensburg The Battle of Bladensburg, also known as the Bladensburg Races, took place during the Chesapeake Campaign, part of the War of 1812, on 24 August 1814, at Bladensburg, Maryland, northeast of Washington, D.C. The battle has been described as "t ...

in 1814, 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 ...

Early career

He later moved to Kentucky and then Indiana. 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

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and Terre Haute metropolitan area, its metropolitan area had a populati ...

; he served as prosecuting attorney and judge of the circuit court, serving as the US Attorney for the District of Indiana from 1817 to 1818. He was also a businessman who served in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

Congress

Blake was elected as a

National Republican The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

to the

20th United States Congress The 20th 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, 1827, ...

, sitting from March 4, 1827 to March 3, 1829; he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1828 to the

Twenty-first Congress The 21st 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, 1829 ...

Later career

On May 19, 1842, President Tyler appointed him as Commissioner of the General Land Office; he served until April 1845. In later years, he was a resident trustee of the Wabash & Erie Canal, and he also visited England as a financial agent of the state of Indiana.

Death and burial

While returning from that trip, he died in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, on November 28, 1849, and was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, in

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about e ...

Electoral history

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Thomas Holdsworth 1792 births 1849 deaths People from Calvert County, Maryland National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana United States attorneys for the District of Indiana Commissioners of the United States General Land Office People from Indiana in the War of 1812 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly