Thomas A. Hendricks
Politician
Thomas Andrews Hendricks (September 7, 1819 – November 25, 1885) was lawyer and an American politician from Indiana who served as the 16th governor of Indiana (1873–1877) and the 21st Vice President of the United States (1885).Born in Muskingum County, Ohio, Hendricks moved to Madison, in Jefferson County, Indiana, with his parents in 1820; the family settled in Shelby County, Indiana, in 1822. After graduating from Hanover College, class of 1841, Hendricks studied law in Shelbyville, Indiana, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1843. Hendricks was a member of the Indiana General Assembly (1848–1850) and a delegate to the state constitutional convention of 1851. He represented Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives (1851–55) and the U.S. Senate (1863–69). After Hendricks lost his re-election bid to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1854, President Franklin Pierce appointed him commissioner of the General Land Office (1855–59). Hendricks resigned as land office commissioner in 1859, returned to Indianapolis, set up a private law practice, and ran for Indiana governor. In 1872, on his third attempt to become governor, Hendricks defeated General Thomas M. Brown. His term as governor of Indiana was marked by the economic Panic of 1873. He was opposed by a strong Republican majority in the Indiana General Assembly and was unable to enact any significant legislation. Having defended the Democratic position in the Senate during the war, Hendricks grew in popularity within the national Democratic Party. He was the unsuccessful candidate for vice president on the Democratic ticket with Samuel Tilden in the controversial presidential election of 1876. Despite his poor health, Hendricks accepted his party's nomination for vice president in the election of 1884 as Grover Cleveland's running mate. Hendricks served as vice president from March 4, 1885, until his death in Indianapolis, eight months later. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.
Personal facts
| Birth date | September 07, 1819 |
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| Birth name | Thomas Andrews Hendricks |
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| Religion | Episcopal Church (United States) |
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| Date of death | November 25, 1885 |
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