Thomas, James H.

Born: 1808-09-22 Iredell County, North Carolina

Died: 1876-08-04 Tennessee

Thomas was a Tennessee attorney, politician, and U.S. congressman. After receiving his early education in rural schools in his native North Carolina, Thomas attended Jackson College in Columbia, Tennessee, graduating in 1830. He read law, earned admission to the Tennessee bar, and commenced practicing law in Columbia. From 1836 to 1842, he served as attorney general of Tennessee. In 1846, he won election as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, holding a seat from March 1847 to March 1851. An unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1850, Thomas resumed his legal practice. In 1858, he returned to the House, serving from March 1859 to March 1861. Upon leaving the House, he again resumed his law practice in Columbia.

Gravestone, Saint Johns Church Cemetery, Ashwood, TN; Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1996 (Alexandria, VA: CQ Staff Directories, 1997), 1936.