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 Roadin 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
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{{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