Thomas W. Riley (1804?December 27, 1872) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the twelfth mayor of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

from 1858 to 1859. Riley was a prominent lawyer and member of the Whig Party, elected to the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

, serving as Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1850.

Life

His law firm moved to Louisville in 1852. He was elected to the city council in 1855 and 1857. His firm dissolved when he was elected Circuit Court judge in 1857. On May 14, 1858, Riley was elected by the council to fill the position of mayor after William S. Pilcher fell too ill to continue on. Pilcher died on August 14 of that year and Riley served until April 2, 1859. After his term expired, he returned to practicing law from 1865 to 1870. He died in

Bullitt County, Kentucky Bullitt County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 82,217. Its county seat is Shepherdsville. The county was founded in 1796. Located just south of the cit ...

in 1872.

References

1872 deaths Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives Mayors of Louisville, Kentucky 1800s births Kentucky Whigs 19th-century mayors of places in Kentucky 19th-century members of the Kentucky General Assembly {{Louisville-stub