Thomas Wilson Spence (September 2, 1846February 23, 1912) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

immigrant, lawyer, and politician. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing the city of during the

1877 Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Batt ...

and

1879 Events January * January 1 ** The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. ** Brahms' Violin Concerto is premiered in Leipzig with Joseph Joachim ...

sessions. As a young man, he was one of the "Ohio Five", who were among the early students of

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

. Spence rose to legal prominence in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and died of a heart attack in the chambers of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

while making oral arguments. "He died with his tie on."

Early life

Thomas Wilson Spence was born in

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, in September 1846. He emigrated with his family to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the midst of ''Án Gorta Mór'' or the Great Famine of 1845–1848. His family located at

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in Ross County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, ...

, where he was raised and educated. After completing his common school education, his family relocated to

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac met ...

, in 1865. Spence quickly returned to Ohio, however, and attended

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (abbrevriated OWU) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Ohio Valley, Centra ...

. After a year, in 1867, he entered

. He studied the classical course and graduated as valedictorian in 1870. While at Ohio Wesleyan, Spence joined the

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1852. The fraternity has over ninety chapters at accredited four-year colleges and uni ...

fraternity and transferred to Cornell with several fraternity brothers. At Cornell, he was "the fourth founder" of the New York Alpha chapter of Phi Kappa Psi. He was also a founding member of Cornell's Irving Literary Society.

Fond du Lac career

After graduating, Spence returned to and began to study law in the office of Coleman & Thorpe. He was admitted to the bar in 1872 and began practicing law in . In 1875, he formed a partnership with his former teacher, James Coleman, creating a firm known as Coleman & Spence. Coleman had also been postmaster at , and Spence was appointed the new postmaster in 1879. That partnership continued until 1880, when Coleman moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, to become a partner for U.S. senator

Matthew H. Carpenter Matthew Hale Carpenter (born Decatur Merritt Hammond Carpenter; – ) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin for eight years as a United States senator, from 1869 to 1875 and again from 1879 unti ...

. Spence formed a new partnership with a recent pupil, Joseph W. Hiner, in a firm known as Spence & Hiner. While prospering in his legal career, Spence also became active in politics as a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to two terms in the

, serving in the

and

sessions. He represented County's 3rd Assembly district, which then comprised just the city of . He also presided as chairman of the Republican State Convention in 1884.

Quarles, Spence & Quarles

In 1884, Spence left and moved to

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, to partner with Joseph V. Quarles, whose previous partner, John B. Winslow, had just been elected Wisconsin circuit court judge. In 1888, they moved to

to expand their practice, and admitted Joseph's brother, Charles Quarles, as a third partner. The firm was then known as Quarles, Spence & Quarles and became one of the leading law firms in Wisconsin. The firm of Quarles, Spence & Quarles still survives, in some respects, in the 21st century. Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen S.C. traces its origins to the 1881 firm of Quarles & Winslow, the predecessor of Quarles, Spence & Quarles. The name of the firm remained Quarles, Spence & Quarles until 1957.

Death

Two years after counselor Spence's death, it was written in the History of Wisconsin:

Personal life and family

Thomas Spence married Maria Cornelia Tallmadge, of

Granville, Wisconsin Granville was a town located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. One portion was incorporated as the village of Brown Deer in 1955; the remainder consolidated with the City of Milwaukee in 1956, and became a neighborhood of Milwa ...

, in 1874. Cornelia was the sixth child of Montgomery Tallmadge and his wife Nancy Ann (' Eastman). The Tallmadge family was descended from Thomas Talmadge, an English immigrant who came to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

in 1631. The Talmadge family contained many prominent figures in American history, including Cornelia's great grandfather

Benjamin Tallmadge Benjamin Tallmadge (February 25, 1754 – March 7, 1835) was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as lead ...

, who was a significant spymaster for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, who served as governor of the Wisconsin Territory, was a second cousin (twice-removed). Thomas and Cornelia had one child, Thomas Henry Spence, who graduated from Yale in 1899 and became a partner in his father's law firm.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1876)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1876

Wisconsin Assembly (1878)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1878

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spence, Thomas Wilson Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Dungannon Politicians from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Irish emigrants to the United States Cornell University alumni Wisconsin lawyers 1846 births 1912 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Burials at Rienzi Cemetery (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature