Thomas Hammond (February 27, 1843 – September 21, 1909) was an American businessman and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

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 1893 to 1895,

Biography

Born in

Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...

, Hammond attended the common schools. He engaged in carpentry and contracting work until twenty-one years of age. He moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, and engaged in the packing-house business. He moved to

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

, in 1876 and assisted in the establishment of the dressed-beef industry. Specifically, he managed the

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...

operation at the State Line Slaughterhouse, an

abattoir In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...

on the south banks of the

Grand Calumet River The Grand Calumet River is a river that flows primarily into Lake Michigan. Originating in Miller Beach in Gary, it flows through the cities of Gary, East Chicago and Hammond, as well as Calumet City and Burnham on the Illinois side. The m ...

. This meat packing operation was co-founded by his brother, George H. Hammond. The tripe subsector of the

meat-packing industry The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally n ...

was a new development at this time.

Early political career

He served as an original member of the Hammond City Council. He then served as the second mayor of Hammond 1888-1893. Marcus M. Towle, Sr, his brother's former business partner and Hammond's first mayor, was the man Hammond defeated in the 1888 mayoral election. It was under his mayorship the City's first proper municipal water system was implemented. At the time, Hammond was still dependent on less-than-desirable artesian water sources.

Congress

Hammond was elected 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 ...

to the Fifty-third Congress (March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895). He earned the nickname "Honest Tom" during his political career. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1894.

Later career and death

He resumed his former business pursuits. He also engaged in the real estate business and banking. He served as president of the Commercial Bank of Hammond 1892-1907. He was appointed by Governor Hanly a member of the Metropolitan Police Board. He died in

, September 21, 1909. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, Thomas 1843 births 1909 deaths Politicians from Fitchburg, Massachusetts Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Mayors of Hammond, Indiana 19th-century mayors of places in Indiana 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives