Thomas Jefferson Drake (April 18, 1797 – April 20, 1875) was an American lawyer and politician in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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, ...

. He served as justice of Utah Territorial Supreme Court and as the third lieutenant governor of Michigan.

Biography

Drake was born in

Scipio, New York Scipio is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Cayuga County, New York, Cayuga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2010 census. Scipio is centrally located in the southern half of the ...

, the son of Elijah Drake and Abigail (Stoddard) Drake. In 1822 he moved to

Pontiac Pontiac most often refers to: * Pontiac (Odawa leader) ( – 1769), Native American war chief *Pontiac (automobile), a former General Motors brand Pontiac may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apo ...

in the

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

. He was a member

Michigan Territorial Council The Michigan Territorial Council, known formally as the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, was the legislative body of the Territory of Michigan from 1824 to 1835, when it was succeeded by the Michigan Legislature in anticipation o ...

from 1828 to 1831, and a member of Michigan Territorial Senate in 1834. From 1839 to 1841 he served as a member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

representing the 3rd District. In 1840 he was Presidential Elector for Michigan to elect

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. While serving as president pro tempore of the Michigan Senate, Drake served as the third Lieutenant Governor of Michigan from February 23, 1841, to January 3, 1842, under

James Wright Gordon James Wright Gordon (1809 – December 1853), usually referred to as J. Wright Gordon, was a United States Whig Party, Whig politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Life and politics in Michigan Gordon was born in Plainfield, Connecticu ...

after the resignation of

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

William Woodbridge William Woodbridge (August 20, 1780October 20, 1861) was a U.S. statesman in the states of Ohio and Michigan and in the Michigan Territory prior to statehood. He served as the second governor of Michigan and a United States senator from Michi ...

. Under the 1835 constitution, the lieutenant governor had no specifically defined duties other than presiding over the senate and as filling in as acting governor. He was also a Whig candidate for

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 Michigan’s 3rd congressional district in 1843, losing to

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 ...

James B. Hunt James Bennett Hunt (August 13, 1799 – August 15, 1857) was a politician and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan. Hunt was born in Demerara, British Guiana (now Guyana). He moved with his father to New York City in 1803. There he later pur ...

. Drake was later a delegate to

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

from Michigan in 1856, and Presidential Elector to elect

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, who lost to

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

. He served as justice of Utah Territorial Supreme Court from 1862 to 1869. Drake died in

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit, Pontiac is part of the Metro Detroit, Detroit metropolitan area, and is vari ...

on April 20, 1875, two days after his 78th birthday. He is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Pontiac.

Family life

Drake married his first wife, Martha Minot Baldwin, on December 17, 1826. He married his second wife, Evelina H. Talbot, on April 19, 1843.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Thomas J. 1797 births 1875 deaths Lieutenant governors of Michigan Michigan state senators Members of the Michigan Territorial Legislature Utah Territorial judges Michigan Republicans Utah Republicans Michigan Whigs People from Scipio, New York Politicians from Pontiac, Michigan 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature