Thomas Morris | |
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| United States Senator fromOhio | |
| In office March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1839 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Ruggles |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Tappan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1776-01-03)January 3, 1776 |
| Died | December 7, 1844(1844-12-07) (aged 68) Bethel, Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican(Before 1825) Jacksonian(1825–1838) Democratic(1838–1844) Liberty(1844) |
Thomas Morris (January 3, 1776 – December 7, 1844) was an American politician fromOhio who served in theUnited States Senate and was a member of theDemocratic Party. In the1844 presidential election, he was the vice presidential nominee of the anti-slaveryLiberty Party.
Morris was born inBerks County, Pennsylvania, and enlisted as a Ranger to fight the Indians in 1793. He settled in western Ohio two years later. Morris began practicing law inBethel, Ohio in 1804.
On May 12, 1806, shortly after the beginning of the 1806–1807 term of theOhio House of Representatives, Morris contested the election ofDavid C. Bryan and was awarded the seat fromClermont County.[1]
Morris served in the Ohio State House of Representatives forClermont County in 1806–1807, 1808–1809, 1810–1811, and 1820–1821.[2] He served as Justice of the Ohio State Supreme Court in 1809. He was then a member of theOhio State Senate forClermont County in 1813–1815, 1821–1823, 1825–1829 and 1831–1833.
He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1833, and served a single term.[3] He did not seek re-election. He was nominated to theVice Presidency by theLiberty Party in1844 underJames G. Birney. The ticket came in third after Democratic candidateJames Knox Polk andWhig Party candidateHenry Clay.
Morris was the father ofIsaac Newton Morris andJonathan David Morris.[4]
He died December 7, 1844.
Author and prominentAmerican Civil War historianEric Foner argues in his seminal bookFree Soil, Free Labor, Free Men that Sen. Morris is one of the most significant figures in theanti-slavery movement and the "first political martyr of the anti-slavery cause when he was denied re-election to the Senate because of his abolitionist convictions."[5] He also argues that Morris "awakened (Salmon Chase) to the character of the Slave Power and to the need for political organization to combat its influences," leading the way for the termSlave Power to enter the American political jargon and paving the way for the creation of theRepublican Party.[5]
| Ohio House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio House of Representatives fromClermont County 1806–1807 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio House of Representatives fromClermont County 1808–1809 Served alongside:William Fee | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio House of Representatives fromClermont County 1810–1811 Served alongside:John Pollock | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio House of Representatives fromClermont County 1820–1821 | Succeeded by |
| Ohio Senate | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio Senate fromClermont County 1813–1815 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio Senate fromClermont County 1821–1823 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio Senate fromClermont County 1825–1829 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theOhio Senate fromClermont County 1831–1833 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Ohio 1833–1839 Served alongside:Thomas Ewing,William Allen | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Liberty nominee forVice President of the United States 1844 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
