Thomas Lawyer

Thomas Lawyer
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
January 1, 1846 – December 31, 1846
Serving with Thomas Smith
Preceded bySeymour Boughton, Henry Tibbets
Succeeded byElisha Hammond, Thomas Smith
ConstituencySchoharie County
District Attorney of Schoharie County, New York
In office
February 4, 1822 – October 10, 1831
Preceded byDavid F. Sacia
Succeeded byJacob Houck Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New York's 13th district
In office
March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819
Preceded byJohn B. Yates
Succeeded byHarmanus Peek
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office
July 1, 1815 – June 30, 1816
Serving with Peter A. Hilton, William C. Bouck
Preceded byWilliam C. Bouck, William Dietz
Succeeded byIsaac Barber, Peter A. Hilton, Aaron Hubbard
ConstituencySchoharie County
Personal details
Born(1785-10-14)October 14, 1785
Schoharie, New York, US
DiedMay 21, 1868(1868-05-21) (aged 82)
Lawyersville, New York, US
Resting placeCobleskill Rural Cemetery, Cobleskill, New York, US
PartyDemocratic-Republican
Democratic
SpouseSarah "Sally" Hall Tiffany (m. 1805)
Children8
ProfessionAttorney
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
New York
ServiceNew York State Militia
Years of service
1820s–1830s
RankMajor General
Commands
  • 133rd Regiment, 28th Brigade, 16th Division
  • 28th Brigade, 16th Division
  • 16th Division

Thomas Lawyer (October 14, 1785 – May 21, 1868) was an American politician and lawyer from Lawyersville, New York. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he served in the United States House of Representatives from 1817 to 1819.

Life

Lawyer was born in Schoharie, New York on October 14, 1785, a son of Johannes Lawyer and Anna (Bouck) Lawyer. He was educated in Schoharie County, studied law with George Tiffany of Schoharie, was admitted to the bar, and practiced in Schoharie County. In February 1805, he married Sarah "Sally" Hall Tiffany. They were married until her death in 1864 and were the parents of eight children.

A Democratic-Republican, he was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1816. Lawyer was a longtime member of the state militia and attained the rank of colonel as commander of the 133rd Regiment, brigadier general as commander of the 28th Brigade, and major general as commander of the 16th Division.

In 1816, Lawyer was elected to the 15th United States Congress, and he served one term, March 4, 1817 to March 3, 1819. He was District Attorney of Schoharie County from 1822 to 1831. Lawyer served again in the state assembly in 1846, this time as a Democrat.

Lawyer died in Lawyersville, New York on May 21, 1868. He was buried at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery in Cobleskill.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Joint Committee On Printing, U.S. Congress (1913). A Biographical Congressional Directory. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 799 – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ "Lawyer Family of Schoharie and Cobleskill, New York". Political Graveyard. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Lawrence Kestenbaum. March 10, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Tiffany, Charles Lewis (1901). The Tiffanys of America: History and Genealogy. Buffalo, New York: Matthews-Northrup Co. p. 42 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ "New York Military Service Cards, 1816-1979, Entry for Colonel Thomas Lawyer". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  5. ↑ "New York Military Service Cards, 1816-1979, Entry for Brigadier General Thomas Lawyer". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
  6. ↑ Skinner, Roger Sherman (1830). The New-York State Register for the Year of Our Lord 1830. New York: Clayton & Van Norden. p. 356 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Sawyer, Ray C., ed. (1933). Deaths Published In The Christian Intelligencer of the Reformed Dutch Church, 1830–1872. Vol. VIII. Worcester, Massachusetts: American Antiquarian Society. p. 38. Retrieved July 5, 2025 – via Ancestry.com.