Thomas Jefferson Word (February 6, 1805May 25, 1890)Several biographies of his nephew, William Falkner, mention that Jeff Word was born around 1809. For example, se
Joel Williamson's ''William Faulkner and Southern History'' p. 38
was 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

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. Born in

Surry County, North Carolina Surry County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,359. Its county seat is Dobson, and its largest community is Mount Airy. Surry county comprises the Mount Airy, NC Micropol ...

, Word studied law, passed his bar exam, and established a private practice. He served as member of the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

in 1832. He later moved to Mississippi and settled in Pontotoc, where he became active in state and local politics. Word successfully contested the election of

Samuel J. Gholson Samuel Jameson Gholson (May 19, 1808 – October 16, 1883) was a United States representative from Mississippi, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi and the United States Dist ...

to the

25th Congress The 25th 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, 183 ...

, and the election was set aside by the House of Representatives. Word was subsequently elected as a Whig to fill the vacancy caused by this action (May 29, 1838 – March 3, 1839). He was not reelected and retired from national politics to resume his legal practice. In 1854, he moved to

Anderson County, Texas Anderson County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. Located within East Texas, its county seat is Palestine. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Anderson County was 57,922. Anderson County comprises the Palestine microp ...

. He was a great-great-granduncle of writer

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Word, Thomas J. 1805 births 1890 deaths People from Surry County, North Carolina Mississippi Whigs North Carolina lawyers Members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi People from Pontotoc, Mississippi People from Anderson County, Texas North Carolina Whigs Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the North Carolina General Assembly