Thomas Hedge (June 24, 1844 – November 28, 1920) was a four-term Republican

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

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its southeastern part, bordering the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the Mississippi River. ...

, in southeastern

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Early life

Thomas Hedge was born on June 24, 1844, in Burlington,

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remai ...

, Hedge attended the common schools, including the North Hill school in Burlington, and Denmark (Iowa) Academy. He graduated from

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

, in 1861, but his education was interrupted by the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In 1864 and 1865 he served as a private in Company E and as second lieutenant in Company G of the 106th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

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, in 1867, where he was a member of

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

, and Columbia College Law School in

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in 1869. 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 ...

in New York in 1869, and returned to Iowa to practice law in Burlington.Editorial, "Thomas Hedge," Cedar Rapids Daily Republican, 1898-07-04 at p. 4.

Career

For twenty years, Hedge practiced in a partnership with Iowa Republican politician J.W. Blythe, with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad as one of the firm's clients. In 1898, Hedge was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House seat for Iowa's 1st congressional district, then held by Republican Samuel M. Clark (who chose not to seek re-election). Hedge served in the Fifty-sixth and the three succeeding Congresses. In 1906 he did not seek re-nomination."Hedge Going to Retire," '' Waterloo Daily Times-Tribune'', 1906-03-03 at p. 1. In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1907. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law.(30 November 1920)
Thomas Hedge Was Well Known
''Daily Gate City and Constitution'' (

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk people, Sauk chief K ...

), reprint of obituary from the ''Burlington Gazette''

Personal life

Hedge married Mary Frances Cook of Burlington in January 1873. They had three children: Thomas Jr., Lyman Cook and Anna Louise. Hedge died at his home in Burlington on November 28, 1920. He was interred in Aspen Grove Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedge, Thomas 1844 births 1920 deaths Yale College alumni Columbia Law School alumni Union army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Members of Skull and Bones 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives