Thomas Metcalfe (US politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thomas Metcalfe (March 20, 1780 - August 18, 1855) was a United States politician, serving many different posts throughout his life, including U.S. Representative, Senator, and Governor of Kentucky. Metcalfe County, Kentucky was named after him.
Born in Fauquier County, Virginia, Metcalfe moved with his parents to Fayette County, Kentucky and learned to be a stone mason. He served as captain in the War of 1812.
Melcalfe was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1812 to 1816. He was also elected to the Sixteenth and four succeeding Congresses in the U.S. House of Representatives, and served from March 4, 1819, until his resignation June 1, 1828. There he was the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Committee on Militia.
Metcalfe became the Governor of Kentucky running as a National Republican, and served from 1828 to 1832. He then served as a member of the Kentucky Senate from 1834 to 1838. He was the president of the board of internal improvements in 1840. Finally he was appointed and subsequently elected as a Whig to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John J. Crittenden. He served from June 23, 1848, to March 3, 1849.
After his term in the Senate Metcalfe engaged in agricultural pursuits and died near Carlisle, Kentucky. He was interred in the family burial ground at "Forest Retreat" in Nicholas County, Kentucky.
| Preceded by: Joseph Desha |
United States Representative from Kentucky's 4th District 1819 - 1823 |
Succeeded by: Robert P. Letcher |
| Preceded by: Samuel H. Woodson |
United States Representative from Kentucky's 2nd District 1823 - 1828 |
Succeeded by: John Chambers |
| Preceded by: Joseph Desha |
Governor of Kentucky 1828 - 1832 |
Succeeded by: John Breathitt |
| Preceded by: John J. Crittenden |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky 1847 - 1849 |
Succeeded by: Henry Clay |
[edit] Sources
- This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- American National Biography
- Dictionary of American Biography
- Morton, Jennie C. "Governor Thomas P. Metcalfe." Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society (January 1904): 21-25.
| Governors of Kentucky |  |
|---|---|
| Shelby • Garrard • Greenup • Scott • Shelby • Madison • Slaughter • Adair • Desha • Metcalfe • J. Breathitt • J. Morehead • Clark • Wickliffe • Letcher • Owsley • Crittenden • Helm • Powell • C. Morehead • Magoffin • Robinson • Bramlette • Helm • Stevenson • Leslie • McCreary • Blackburn • Knott • Buckner • Brown • Bradley • Taylor • Goebel • Beckham • Willson • McCreary • Stanley • Black • Morrow • Fields • Sampson • Laffoon • Chandler • Johnson • Willis • Clements • Wetherby • Chandler • Combs • E. Breathitt • Nunn • Ford • Carroll • Brown Jr. • Collins • Wilkinson • Jones • Patton • Fletcher
Kentucky also had two Confederate Governors: George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes. |
