Thomas Sumter Politician
Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734 – June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American War of Independence, and a planter and a politician. After the United States gained independence, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives and to the United States Senate, where he served from 1801 to 1810, when he retired. Sumter was nicknamed the "Carolina Gamecock," for both his fierce fighting style and his attack on British soldiers after they burned down his house during the Revolution.Thomas Sumter was born in Hanover County, Province of Virginia. His father, William Sumter, was an immigrant from Wales who operated a mill in the county. Given a rudimentary education on the frontier, the young Sumter enlisted in the Virginia militia.
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Office holder
| military operations | |
|---|---|
| military command | Second Regiment of the South Carolina Line |
| military rank | |
| office | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives United States Senator from South Carolina from South Carolina's 4th district |
| service end | 1781 |
| service start | 1755 |
| successor |