Sumter, Thomas

Born: 1734-08-14 Charlottesville, Virginia

Died: 1832-06-01 South Carolina

Flourished: South Carolina

About 1760, Sumter moved to South Carolina, where he was engaged in planting and mercantile pursuits. He served with South Carolina troops during the Revolutionary War, and was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress, which he declined. After serving several terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives, he was subsequently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1789 to 1793 and again from 1797 to 1801. In December 1801, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1810.

Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997), 1906.