Thomas_Sergeant

Thomas Sergeant

Thomas Sergeant

American politician and judge (1782-1860)

Not to be confused with Thomas J. Sargent.

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.

Quick Facts Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ...

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.[2] He read law under Jared Ingersoll, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1802.[3]

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.[4][5] His grandson, by Frances, was the scholar and linguist Thomas Sergeant Perry.[6]

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.[2] From 1817 to 1819 he was Secretary of the Commonwealth.[7] From 1819 to 1820 he was state Attorney General.[3]

From 1828 to 1832, he was postmaster of Philadelphia.[3] In 1831, Sergeant was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.[8] From 1834 to 1846 he served as an associate justice of the state Supreme Court.[9] Upon resigning, he resumed private practice. He was president of the Law Academy and a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania.[3]

Sergeant wrote several books on Pennsylvania law.

Thomas Sergeant tombstone in Laurel Hill Cemetery

He died on May 8, 1860, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[10]

Publications

References

  1. [1]
    Pennsylvania Department of State. History of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania Department of State & the Great Seal of the Commonwealth. p. 41.
  2. [2]
    Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Volume V. Boston: The New England Historical Genealogical Society. 1885. pp. 72–75. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  3. [3]
    John Hugh Campbell (1892). 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. Hibernian Society. p. 518.
  4. [4]
    "Friends of Franklin, Inc. Descendants Project records (Collection 3117)" (PDF). The Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
  5. [5]
    "Descendants of Dr. Franklin". The New England Historical and Genealogic Registry. VIII (4): 374. October 1854.
  6. [6]
    John Howard Brown (1903). Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States: Newton-Sears. Vol. VI. James H. Lamb Company. p. 224.
  7. [7]
    Smull, John Augustus (1022). Smull's Legislative Hand Book, and Manual of the State of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: J.L.L. Kuhn. p. 992. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  8. [8]
    "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  9. [9]
    "Historical List of Supreme Court Justices". www.pacourts.us. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  10. [10]
    "Thomas Sergeant". www.remembermyjourney.com. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
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