Thomas McCall Cadwalader (September 11, 1795 – October 22, 1873) was an American who trained to be a lawyer but made his career in the military, retiring as a major general.

Early life

Thomas McCall Cadwalader was born on the family estate called Greenwood in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

on September 11, 1795. His father was Lambert Cadwalader and mother was Mary McCall. Through his mother, he was a descendant of the Schuyler and the Van Cortlandt families through her ancestors

Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor ...

and Gertrude Schuyler. He was their only child, a brother having died in childhood. His cousin Elizabeth Cadwalader (1774–1824) married his uncle Archibald McCall (1767–1843). Many of his cousins once-removed became military leaders, following the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

and read law, but chose a career in the military instead.

Career

He was appointed deputy adjutant-general of the New Jersey militia on June 2, 1830. On April 10, 1833, he became Aide-de-camp to Elias P. Seeley with rank of lieutenant colonel. On July 30, 1842, he was promoted to brigadier general. In 1856, he toured Europe to report on how the US military could be modernized. He retired from the military on January 26, 1858. After his retirement he was given an honorary brevet promotion to major general.

Personal life

On December 27, 1831, Cadwalader married Maria Charlotte Gouverneur, a daughter of Nicholas Gouverneur. Her aunt Elizabeth Kortright had married

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

, and brother Samuel Laurence Gouverneur had married Monroe's daughter. Together, they were the parents of: * Emily Cadwalader (1834–1892), married William Henry Rawle on October 17, 1869, after the death of his first wife. * Mary Cadwalader (1835–1914), who married physician Silas Weir Mitchell (1829–1914) on June 23, 1875. * John Lambert Cadwalader (1836–1914), who joined a prominent Wall Street law firm,

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP (known as Cadwalader) is a law firm based in New York City. It is the city's oldest law firm and one of the oldest continuously operating legal practices in the United States. Attorney John Wells founded the pra ...

, that now bears his name. * Richard McCall Cadwalader (1839–1918), who graduated from Princeton in 1860 and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1863 and who married Christine Biddle (1847–1900) on November 26, 1873. * Maria Cadwalader (c. 1841–1921), who married John Hone (1844–1915) on April 29, 1880. Hone's grandfather was Commodore

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (August 19, 1969 – October 28, 2023) was an American and Canadian actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. He gained international fame for starring as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994– ...

and his great-granduncle was

New York City Mayor The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, ...

Philip Hone. Cadwalader died October 22, 1873, and was buried in the Friends Burying Ground at

Descendants

Through his son Richard, he was the grandfather of Richard McCall Cadwalader, who married Emily Margaretta Roebling (1879–1941), and Gouverneur Cadwalader. Through his daughter Maria, he was the grandfather of Hester Gouverneur Hone-Bartol.

References

Notes Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwalader, Thomas Mccall 1795 births 1873 deaths Cadwalader family Princeton University alumni Military personnel from Trenton, New Jersey United States Army generals American people of Dutch descent