Thomas S. Casey (April 6, 1832 – March 1, 1891) was an American politician and judge. Casey was born in

Jefferson County, Illinois Jefferson County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 37,113. The county seat is Mount Vernon. Jefferson County contains the Mount Vernon, Illinois microp ...

and sent to the public schools. He graduated from McKendree College and then studied law. In 1851, Casey was admitted to the Illinois bar. He lived in

Mount Vernon, Illinois Mount Vernon is a city in Jefferson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,600 at the 2020 census. Mount Vernon is the principal city of the Mount Vernon, Illinois micropolitan area, which includes all of ...

. In 1860, he was elected state's attorney. Casey served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and was commissioned a colonel. From 1864 to 1868, Casey again served as state's attorney. From 1870 to 1872, he served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

and was a

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 ...

. Casey served in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

from 1872 to 1876.Casey then served on the

Illinois Appellate Court The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases rising in the Illinois circuit courts. In Illinois, litigants generally have a right to first appeal from final decisions or judgements of the circuit court ...

from 1879 to 1885. Case then moved to

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, where he practiced law. He died in Springfield, Illinois, from pneumonia. His father was

Zadok Casey Zadok Casey (March 7, 1796 – September 4, 1862) was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from Illinois and founded the city of Mount Vernon, Illinois. Biography Zadok Casey was born in Greene County, Georgia. Not ...

who served as

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

.'Illinois Legislative Manual-1875,' pg. 82

Notes

1832 births 1891 deaths People from Mount Vernon, Illinois Politicians from Springfield, Illinois People of Illinois in the American Civil War McKendree University alumni Illinois lawyers Judges of the Illinois Appellate Court Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Party Illinois state senators 19th-century Illinois state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly {{Illinois-Ilrepresentative-Democratic-stub