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Thomas Watkins Ligon (May 10, 1810January 12, 1881), a Democrat, was the 30th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1854 to 1858. He also a member of the United States House of Representatives, serving Maryland's third Congressional district from 1845 until 1849. He was the second Maryland governor born in Virginia and was a minority party governor, who faced bitter opposition from an openly hostile legislature.


Biography

Thomas Watkins Ligon he was born on May 10, 1810, near
Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...
, the son of Thomas D. Ligon and Martha Watkins. He graduated from
Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...
, then entered the University of Virginia. He graduated from Yale Law School and returned to Virginia where he was admitted to the bar. In 1833, he moved to
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
where he practiced law for the next 20 years. On September 29, 1840, he married Sally Ann Dorsey and made his home in
Ellicott City, Maryland Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 65,834 at the 2010 census, making it the mo ...
. Mrs. Ligon died shortly after their marriage and he married her sister, Mary Tolly Dorsey. He had one son and one daughter. In 1843, he was elected to a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates from Howard County and in 1845, the Democrats nominated him for Congress. He defeated the incumbent
John Wethered John Wethered (May 8, 1809 – February 15, 1888) was a U.S. Representative from Maryland. Early life John Wethered was born on May 8, 1809, in Baltimore County, Maryland. He completed preparatory studies. Career Wethered held several local o ...
by a majority of about 1,000 votes, and was re-elected by a larger margin in 1847. He served in the Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Congresses, taking his seat on December 1, 1845 and retiring on March 3, 1849. In the gubernatorial election of 1853, the Whigs nominated
Richard Johns Bowie Richard Johns Bowie (June 23, 1807 – March 12, 1881) was an American slave owner, politician and jurist. Early life Richard Johns Bowie was born on June 23, 1807, to Margaret (née Johns) and Colonel Washington Bowie in Georgetown, Washington, ...
of Montgomery County to face Ligon, who had been nominated by the Democrats. Ligon defeated his opponent by about 4,200 votes, but he and his party were in the minority in the Legislature. He was inaugurated on January 11, 1854, and he pledged himself to work for the establishment of a system of common schools, the improvement of Maryland’s soils, and increased aid to agriculture. All these were shortly forgotten, when he and his ' Know-Nothing' opponents in the Legislature came into conflict. He supported the foundation of an agricultural college with an experimental farm attached, a step which the Legislature later took when it established the old Maryland Agricultural College at College Park. The Know-Nothing Riot of 1856 occurred during his term. On January 13, 1858, following the election of his 'Know-Nothing' successor Thomas Holliday Hicks, Ligon retired to his Howard County estate 'Chatham' near Ellicott City. He died at his home on January 12, 1881, and was buried in the family cemetery.


Legacy

Ligon Road
in the Ellicott City neighborhood of Dunloggin presumably bears his name. He once resided in the
Brick House on the Pike The Brick House on the Pike, Elerslie, Three Brothers is a historic home located at Ellicott City, Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is a large two-story, side-passage, double-pile plan house constructed in two phases, a brick structure ...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. He also resided at
White Hall White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ligon, Thomas Watkins 1810 births 1881 deaths Democratic Party governors of Maryland Hampden–Sydney College alumni People from Ellicott City, Maryland Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland 19th-century American politicians