Thomas Hartley (September 7, 1748December 21, 1800) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician from

York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...

Early life and education

Hartley was born in Colebrookdale Township in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

. At 18 years of age, he moved to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, where he studied law under Samuel Johnson and was admitted to practice law in

York County, Pennsylvania York County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York, Pennsylvania, ...

, and the courts in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1769. He owned slaves.

Career

In 1774, Hartley was appointed first lieutenant of a company of soldiers in York and the following summer was appointed lieutenant colonel of the First Battalion of York County Associators. In the fall of 1775, he served on an expedition to Canada and upon return was chosen as lieutenant-colonel of the Seventh Pennsylvania Regiment. He served as a member of the 1775 provincial convention at Philadelphia and commanded a 1778 Indian expedition. 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 ...

Hartley was second in command of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. Beginning in January 1777, he raised and commanded

Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment Hartley's Additional Continental Regiment was an American infantry unit of the Continental Army that served for two years during the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was authorized in January 1777 and Thomas Hartley was appointed its co ...

and commanded it as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

during the major battles of the

Philadelphia campaign The Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778) was a British military campaign during the American Revolutionary War designed to gain control of Philadelphia, the Revolutionary-era capital where the Second Continental Congress convened, formed the ...

, including Brandywine, Paoli, and Germantown. In 1778 the unit guarded the Pennsylvania frontier and, on September 24, 1778, mounted a two-week foray against hostile Indians, including the destruction of Queen Esther's Town on September 27. The regiment merged with other units in January 1779 to become the "new"

11th Pennsylvania Regiment The 11th Pennsylvania Regiment or Old Eleventh was authorized on 16 September 1776 for service with the Continental Army. On 25 October, Richard Humpton was named colonel. In December 1776, the regiment was assigned to George Washington's main ...

and went with the

Sullivan Expedition The 1779 Sullivan Expedition (also known as the Sullivan-Clinton Expedition, the Sullivan Campaign, and the Sullivan-Clinton Campaign) was a United States military campaign under the command of General John Sullivan (general), John Sullivan duri ...

that summer. However, Harley was elected to the

Pennsylvania General Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvani ...

in October 1778 and resigned from his military in February 1779. Hartley served in the Pennsylvania legislature in 1779 and returned to practice law in York. Hartley was a member of the Pennsylvania convention that ratified the federal constitution in 1787. He then represented

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

in the

U.S. House 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 1789 until his death in 1800. On February 5, 1791, Hartley became the first Pennsylvanian to join the bar of the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

when he took the oath in New York, where the court was then located. Hartley frequently attended social and official functions of President Washington and the First Lady. On July 2, 1791, Hartley greeted President Washington on the President's journey through York and hosted tea for the President at his house. Hartley was among the original members of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

and a trustee of

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

. On April 28, 1800, he was appointed by Governor McKean as Major General of the Fifth Division of the state militia. Hartley was also a land prospector and purchased land in present-day

Union County, Pennsylvania Union County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 42,681. Its county seat is Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Lewisburg. ...

, which was previously part of Northumberland County. He helped lay out a town, now

Hartleton, Pennsylvania Hartleton is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 247 at the 2020 census. The borough, as well as the adjoining township of Hartley, are both named for Colonel Thomas Hartley, American politician and Revol ...

, and adjoining Hartley Township was named for him.

Death

Hartley died December 21, 1800, in

, shortly before the end of his sixth term in Congress, and was buried in St. John’s churchyard in York.

References

External links

Find A Grave Memorial
- includes a portrait from the York County (Pa.) Heritage Society dating from 1927 and thus not in the public domain. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Thomas 1748 births 1800 deaths Politicians from Reading, Pennsylvania People from colonial Pennsylvania Pro-Administration Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Deans of the United States House of Representatives Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from York, Pennsylvania Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life and education

Career

Death

See also

References

External links