Thomas Willoughby Newton (January 18, 1804 – September 22, 1853) was a Whig member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from the State of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. Newton was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, in 1804. Newton had little schooling in his early years but had great penmanship. He came to Arkansas in 1820 began his career as a

post rider Post riders or postriders describes a horse and rider postal delivery system that existed at various times and various places throughout history. The term is usually reserved for instances where a network of regularly scheduled service was provid ...

from

Arkansas Post The Arkansas Post (; ), officially the Arkansas Post National Memorial, was the first European colonization of the Americas, European settlement located along the Mississippi River, in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and in the present-day U. ...

on the north side of the

Arkansas river The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

to Cadron. In 1825 he became clerk of the court of

Pulaski County, Arkansas Pulaski County is a county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. With a population of 399,125 as of the 2020 United States census, it is the most populous county in Arkansas. The county is included in the Little Rock– North Little Rock–Conway m ...

, and served for four years, During this time he studied law with

Robert Crittenden Robert Crittenden (January 1, 1797 – December 18, 1834) was an American lawyer who served as the first secretary of the Arkansas Territory from 1819 to 1829. He also served as the acting governor of Arkansas Territory from July to December 181 ...

and had become a lawyer. While living with Crittenden as an associate, Crittenden would revive many letters of disdain, and with that Newton strongly defended him. He was adjutant to Crittenden at the November 15th 1824 treaty with the

Quapaw The Quapaw ( , Quapaw language, Quapaw: ) or Arkansas, officially the Quapaw Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes in the United States, U.S. federally recognized tribe comprising about 6,000 citizens. Also known as the Ogáxpa or � ...

s, and aide-de-camp to General William Bradford (1771–1826) in 1826. In 1829 he went to

Shelbyville, Kentucky Shelbyville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,282 at the 2020 census. History Early history The town of Shelbyville ...

, and married Mary K. Allen, daughter of Colonel John Allen, veteran of the war of 1812. Newton remained at Shelbyville practicing law until 1837. After the admission of Arkansas to the Union, Newton brought his wife back to Arkansas, making it his home. He was elected as a Whig to the fifth State legislature and served in the Senate from November 4, 1844, to November 4, 1848. When Archibald Yell resigned his seat in Congress to become colonel of the Arkansas volunteer regiment in the Mexican–American War in 1847, Newton was elected to fill the unexpired term and served as a Whig in the Twenty-ninth Congress. This election made Newton the only person ever elected to the U.S. House from Arkansas as a Whig. Newton served in Washington for only a month, and declined to run for a full term. on September 22, 1853, at the age of 49, Newton died in New York City and is buried in the historic

Mount Holly Cemetery Mount Holly Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in the Quapaw Quarter area of downtown Little Rock in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and is the burial place for numerous Arkansans of note. It was listed on the National Register of Historic ...

in Little Rock.

Newton County, Arkansas Newton County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,225. The county seat is Jasper, Arkansas, Jasper. Newton County is Arkansas's 46th county, ...

, was named in his honor. Newton was a slaveholder.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Thomas Willoughby 1804 births 1853 deaths 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives American people of English descent Arkansas postmasters Arkansas state senators Politicians from Alexandria, Virginia Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas