Thomas Griffin (politician)

Thomas Griffin (1773 – October 7, 1837) was an eighteenth and nineteenth century politician, planter, lawyer and judge from Virginia.[1]

Thomas Griffin
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 12th district
In office
March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805
Preceded byJohn Stratton
Succeeded byBurwell Bassett
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from York County
In office
December 3, 1827 – December 5, 1830
Serving with Robert Sheild
Preceded byThomas C. Russell
Succeeded bydistrict merged with James City County
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from York County
In office
December 6, 1819 – November 30, 1823
Serving with William McCandlish, Robert P. Waller, Scervant Jones
Preceded byRobert Pescud
Succeeded byThomas C. Russell
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from York County
In office
October 21, 1793 – November 30, 1800
Serving with Hugh Nelson, Samuel Shield, William Waller
Preceded byRobert Shield
Succeeded byJohn Waller
Personal details
Born
Cyrus Griffin

(1773-07-16)July 16, 1773
Yorktown,
Colony of Virginia,
British America
DiedOctober 7, 1837(1837-10-07) (aged 64)
Yorktown, Virginia
SpouseMary Griffin
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/serviceVirginia militia
Years of service1812-1814
RankMajor
Battles/warsWar of 1812

Early and family life

edit

Born in Yorktown, Virginia to Dr. Corbin Griffin and his wife. His father was a prominent local patriot during the American Revolutionary War: as a member of the York County Committee of Safety (1775-1776), and then as surgeon in the Virginia line.[2] Meanwhile, young Thomas remained in the Hampton Roads area and received a private education suitable to his class, then studied law.[3] He married his cousin Mary, daughter of prominent lawyer and patriot, then U.S. District Judge Cyrus Griffin.

Career

edit

After being admitted to the Virginia bar, Griffin practiced law, as well as operated a plantation using enslaved labor. In the last census before his death, he owned 29 enslaved people, and his household also included a free Black woman of between 24 and 35 years old.[4]

Voters in York County first elected Griffin as one of their two representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1793, and he won re-election each year until 1800.[5]

During this part-time legislative service, Griffin also accepted an appointment as a justice of the court of oyer and terminer on October 17, 1796, serving until 1810.

In 1802, Congressman John Stratton having announced his retirement, Griffin won election as a Federalist to the United States House of Representatives in 1802, serving from 1803 to 1805. Democratic Republican Burwell Bassettdefeated him in 1804 (and would win re-election several times

He was then appointed chief justice of the Court of Quarter Sessions in Yorktown on September 1, 1805, serving until 1810 when he became a justice of the York County Court, serving as this until 1812.

During the War of 1812, British ships threatened the Hampton Roads area. Griffin served as a major of Infantry, and was second in command during the Battle of Hampton.

After the war, Griffin again became a justice of the court of oyer and terminer, this time as chairman of the court, serving from 1814 to 1820.

In 1819, voters again elected Griffin as one of their representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates, and re-elected him, so he served from 1819 to 1823.[6] He again won election and re-election from 1827 to 1830,[7] but following the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830, the Tidewater area lost representatives and more were allocated to western Virginia, so the York County district was merged with neighboring James City County.

Death and legacy

edit

Griffin died at "The Mansion" near Yorktown, Virginia on October 7, 1837.

References

edit
  1. ^ Lyon Gardiner Tyler, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography (1915) vol. 2, p. 111
  2. ^ Tyler
  3. ^
    • United States Congress. "Thomas Griffin (id: G000467)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  4. ^ U.S. Federal Census for York County, Virginia pp. 37-38 of 44
  5. ^ Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 193, 197, 201, 205, 209, 213, 217
  6. ^ Leonard pp. 301, 306, 311, 316
  7. ^ Leonard pp. 341, 346, 351
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 12th congressional district

March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805 (obsolete district)
Succeeded by

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress