Thomas Wheeler Woollen (April 26, 1830 - February 12, 1898) was an

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, and

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who served as the eleventh

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state, State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is ...

from November 6, 1878, to November 6, 1880.

Biography

Early life and education

Woollen was born in

Dorchester County Dorchester County is the name of two counties in the United States: * Dorchester County, Maryland * Dorchester County, South Carolina Dorchester County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. The Woollen family was descended from John Woollen, a colonist who lived on the

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and assisted settlers from

New Haven Colony New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 16 ...

as an interpreter, being familiar with the

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spoken in the area. Thomas Woollen's parents were Edward and Anna (née Wheeler) Woollen. His older brother, William Wesley Woollen, was a banker, politician, and

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who wrote the book ''Biographical Sketches of Early Indiana''. His younger brother, Levin James Woollen, became a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and a member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana State Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year ...

. Woollen worked on the family farm until 1845, when his family moved to

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when he was fifteen. In 1848, Woollen moved to

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Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. While living in Madison, he served as deputy Jefferson County

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(a position he got thanks to his brother William, who had come to Jefferson County four years prior and was serving as the county

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

). In 1856, Woollen moved to Vernon, where he

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

and worked at the Jennings County Clerk's office. After his brief stay in Vernon, Woollen moved again to

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, where he started a law firm in partnership with

Jeptha D. New Jeptha Dudley New (November 28, 1830 – July 9, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana. He was the grandson of Jethro New, nephew of Robert A. New, brother of John C. New, and uncle of Harry Stewart New. Born in Vernon, Indiana, New wa ...

(later 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 Indiana). Woollen also practiced law for over forty years with David Banta, a longtime judge of the Franklin County

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and the first dean of the

Indiana University Maurer School of Law The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is the law school of Indiana University Bloomington, a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. Established in 1842, the school is named after alumnus Michael S. "Mickey" Maurer, an Indianapo ...

Political and judicial career

In 1862, Woollen, 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 ...

, was elected to represent Johnson County in the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House mem ...

. During his time in the House, he was appointed to the Committee on Benevolent Institutions by House Speaker Samuel Hamilton Buskirk. In 1868, Woollen was elected judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

. He held the position for two years before resigning to become the head of the First National Bank in Franklin. In 1870, Woollen began to practice law again. In 1872, Woollen was re-elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He served on the House Judiciary Committee and became the leader of the House's Democratic minority, notably leading the opposition to an

apportionment The legal term apportionment (; Mediaeval Latin: , derived from , share), also called delimitation, is in general the distribution or allotment of proper shares, though may have different meanings in different contexts. Apportionment can refer ...

bill pushed by House

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Woollen was elected

in 1878, succeeding Clarence A. Buskirk. He served in the position for two years in the administration of James D. Williams and was succeeded by Daniel P. Baldwin.

Personal life and death

Woollen was known for his "commanding personal appearance", being over six feet tall and weighing over 200 pounds. Woollen married twice. He married his first wife, Harriet J. Williams (daughter of a Jackson County judge) in Brownstown in 1850. They had five children; three sons and two daughters. Harriet died in 1869, and Woollen remarried in 1872 to widow Kate Pulasky (née Byfield). Woollen died in 1898.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woollen, Thomas W. 1830 births 1898 deaths People from Dorchester County, Maryland Indiana attorneys general Indiana state court judges Democratic Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Indiana General Assembly