Thomas Stockton (politician)
{{short description|American politician}}
{{No footnotes|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Thomas Stockton
| honorific-suffix =
| image = ThomasStockton.gif
| caption = Stockton
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| office = 33rd Governor of Delaware
| term_start = January 21, 1845
| term_end = March 2, 1846
| predecessor = William B. Cooper
| successor = Joseph Maull
| birth_date = {{birth date|1781|4|1|mf=y}}
| birth_place = New Castle County, Delaware, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1846|3|2|1781|4|1}}
| death_place = New Castle, Delaware, U.S.
| spouse = Fidelia Johns
| party = Whig
| residence = New Castle, Delaware, U.S.
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Soldier
| profession =
}}
Thomas Stockton (April 1, 1781 – March 2, 1846) was an American soldier and politician from New Castle in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and a member of the Whig Party, who served as Governor of Delaware.
Early life and education
Stockton was born in New Castle Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, on April 1, 1781, son of John and Nancy Griffin Stockton. His father was a brigadier general in the War of 1812, leading the 1st Brigade of Delaware militia. He married Fidelia Johns, daughter of Chancellor Kensey Johns, and they had five children, Thomas, William, James, Elizabeth, and Fidelia. They lived in the Kensey Johns-Van Dyke house at 300 Delaware Street and were members of the Immanuel Episcopal Church in New Castle.
He attended and graduated from Princeton College.
Career
=Delaware militia=
After graduating from Princeton, Stockton joined the Delaware militia. During the War of 1812 he was part of the attack on Fort George on the Niagara River and fought at Lundy's Lane. He was promoted to a major in the 42nd Infantry, and he retired from the U.S. Army in 1825.
=Political career=
Stockton was the New Castle County Register in Chancery from 1832 to 1835. Several years later, in 1844, he was elected Governor of Delaware by defeating William Tharp, the Democratic Party candidate. He took office January 21, 1845 and served until his death on March 2, 1846. He was the sixth Governor of Delaware to die in office.
He was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati.
Death and legacy
Stockton died at New Castle and is buried there at the Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery. Several of his sons and grandsons served in the Civil War.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1845-1846
|63rd
|
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |Whig
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |Joseph Maull
|
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |Whig
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |William Temple
|-
{{end box}}
Almanac
Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Administration}}
|Register in Chancery
|1832
|1835
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|January 21, 1845
|March 2, 1846
|
{{end box}}
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1844
|
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |Thomas Stockton
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |Whig
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |6,140
|{{Party shading/Whig}} |50%
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |William Tharp
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |Democratic
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |6,095
|{{Party shading/Democratic}} |50%
{{end box}}
References
- {{cite book |title = History of the State of Delaware |last= Conrad |first= Henry C. |publisher= Wickersham Company |location= Lancaster, Pennsylvania |year= 1908 }}
- {{cite book |title= A History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |year= 1984 }}
- {{cite book |title= History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols. |last= Scharf |first= John Thomas |publisher= L. J. Richards & Co. |location= Philadelphia |year= 1888 |isbn= 0-87413-493-5}}
Images
- [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-12.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery] Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930034015/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=7e4b224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States]
- [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov2.htm#stockton Delaware’s Governors]
- {{Find a Grave|6659392}}
- [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/stockton.html#RKD0IVIQV The Political Graveyard]
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical Society; [http://www.hsd.org/ website]; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
- University of Delaware; [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ Library website]; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=William B. Cooper}}
{{s-ttl|title=Whig nominee for Governor of Delaware|years=1844}}
{{s-aft|after=Peter F. Causey}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef | before = William B. Cooper}}
{{s-ttl | title = Governor of Delaware | years = 1845–1846}}
{{s-aft | after = Joseph Maull}}
{{s-end}}
{{Governors of Delaware}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockton, Thomas}}
Category:19th-century American Episcopalians
Category:19th-century Delaware politicians
Category:Governors of Delaware