Thomas Sergeant

{{infobox officeholder

|name = Thomas Sergeant

|image =

|caption =

|office = Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives

|term_start = 1812

|term_end = 1814

|office2 = Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

|term_start2 = December 16, 1817

|term_end2 = July 6, 1819{{cite book|title=History of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Department of State & the Great Seal of the Commonwealth|author=Pennsylvania Department of State|page=41}}

|predecessor2 = Nathaniel Boileau

|successor2 = Samuel D. Ingham

|office3 = Pennsylvania Attorney General

|term_start3 = July 7, 1819

|term_end3 = December 20, 1820

|governor3 = Amos Ellmaker
Thomas Elder

|predecessor3 = Amos Ellmaker

|successor3 = Thomas Elder

|office4 = Associate Justice, Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

|term_start4 = February 3, 1834

|term_end4 = 1846

|birth_date = January 14, 1782

|birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|death_date = May 8, 1860 (aged 78)

|death_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|resting_place = Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

|spouse = Sarah Bache

|relatives = Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant (father)
John Sergeant (brother)

|children = 4 survived to adulthood

}}

Thomas Sergeant (January 14, 1782 – May 8, 1860) was an American politician and judge. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1812 to 1814, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1817 to 1819, Pennsylvania Attorney General from 1819 to 1820, and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1834 to 1846.

Early life and education

Sergeant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 14, 1782, to Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant and Margaret Spencer. He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) in 1798 in the same class as his twin brother. He read law under Jared Ingersoll, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1802.{{cite book|title=History of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and of the Hibernian Society for the Relief of Emigrants from Ireland. March 17, 1771–March 17, 1892|author=John Hugh Campbell|publisher=Hibernian Society|year=1892|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kKoCAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA518|page=518}}

In 1812, he married Sarah Bache, a daughter of Sarah Franklin Bache, who was a daughter of Benjamin Franklin. Their children were Henry Jonathan, Emma, Frances, Thomas Jr., and William, who died in infancy.{{cite web|title=Friends of Franklin, Inc. Descendants Project records (Collection 3117)|publisher=The Historical Society of Pennsylvania|url=http://hsp.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/migrated/findingaid3117friendsoffranklin.pdf}}{{cite journal|title=Descendants of Dr. Franklin|journal=The New England Historical and Genealogic Registry|date=October 1854|volume=VIII|issue=4|page=374|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6G4FAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA374}} His grandson, by Frances, was the scholar and linguist Thomas Sergeant Perry.{{cite book|author=John Howard Brown|title=Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States: Newton-Sears|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4SZAAAAAYAAJ|volume=VI|year=1903|publisher=James H. Lamb Company|page=224}}

Career

He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for two terms from 1812 to 1814. From 1814 to 1817, he was an associate judge of the District Court of Philadelphia.{{cite book |title=Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Volume V |date=1885 |publisher=The New England Historical Genealogical Society |location=Boston |pages=72–75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cb1PAQAAIAAJ |access-date=1 April 2024}} From 1817 to 1819 he was Secretary of the Commonwealth.{{cite book |last1=Smull |first1=John Augustus |title=Smull's Legislative Hand Book, and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania |date=1022 |publisher=J.L.L. Kuhn |location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |page=992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xt1WAAAAYAAJ |access-date=29 March 2024}} From 1819 to 1820 he was state Attorney General.

From 1828 to 1832, he was postmaster of Philadelphia. In 1831, Sergeant was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=1832&year-max=1832&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=2021-04-08|website=search.amphilsoc.org}} From 1834 to 1846 he served as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court.{{cite web |title=Historical List of Supreme Court Justices |url=https://www.pacourts.us/learn/history/historical-list-of-supreme-court-justices |website=www.pacourts.us |publisher=The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania |access-date=29 March 2024}} Upon resigning, he resumed private practice. He was president of the Law Academy and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Sergeant wrote several books on Pennsylvania law.

File:Thomas Sergeant tombstone.jpg]]

He died on May 8, 1860, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.{{cite web |title=Thomas Sergeant |url=https://www.remembermyjourney.com/Search/27?q=first:%20Thomas%20last:%20sergeant&searchCemeteryId=&birthYear=&deathYear=#deceased=1750900 |website=www.remembermyjourney.com |access-date=27 March 2024}}

Publications

[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Constitutional%20Law/rgKuAAAAMAAJ Constitutional Law: Being a View of the Practice and Jurisdiction of the Courts of the United States, and of Constitutional Points Decided.], Philadelphia: P.H. Nicklin and T. Johnson, 1830
[https://www.google.com/books/edition/View%20of%20the%20Land%20Laws%20of%20Pennsylvania/RIQVAAAAYAAJ View of the Land Laws of Pennsylvania, with Notices of its Early History and Legislation], Philadelphia: James Kay, Jun. and Brother, 1838
[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Reports%20of%20Cases%20Adjudged%20in%20the%20Supreme/MgFIAQAAMAAJ Reports of Cases Adjudged in The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania], Philadelphia: Thomas Davis, 1846