Who was Thomas A. Hendricks? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Thomas Hendricks

Died At Age: 66

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Eliza Hendricks

Political Leaders American Men

political ideology: Political party - Democratic

Died on: November 25, 1885

place of death: Indianapolis

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education: Hanover College

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Childhood & Early Life

Thomas Hendricks was born on September 7, 1819, in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, to John Thomson Hendricks, a farmer who later became involved in politics, and his wife, Jane. He was one of the eight children in his family.

In 1820, his family settled on a farm in Madison, in Jefferson County, Indiana, and later moved to Shelby County, Indiana. After Hendricks’ father was appointed deputy surveyor of public lands for his district, their home was frequently visited by the state's leading men, which inclined his interest towards politics from a young age.

After receiving elementary education from the Shelby County Seminary and Greensburg Academy, Hendricks attended the Hanover College, Indiana, from where he graduated in 1841.

After finishing college, he studied law from a school in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Thereafter, he returned to Indiana and was admitted to the bar in 1843. Subsequently, he began a private law practice in Shelbyville.

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Career

In 1848, Thomas Hendricks entered into politics as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, where he served a one-year term and was speaker of the house.

In 1850, Hendricks was appointed, as a Democrat, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 5th district, where he served from March 1851 to March 1853.He was the chairman of the Committee on Mileage in Thirty-second Congress.

From March 1853 to March 1855, he served as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6th district. He was on the Committee on Invalid Pensions in Thirty-third Congress.

In 1855, Hendricks was appointed the Commissioner of the General Land Office in Washington, D.C., a post he retained until 1859. After resigning as land commissioner, Hendricks moved to Indianapolis and in 1860, he ran as the Democratic candidate for governor of Indiana, but lost.

In 1862, he was elected by the Indiana General Assembly to the U.S. Senate during the American Civil War. From 1863 to 1869, he remained in the Senate, covering the Thirty-eighth, Thirty-ninth, and Fortieth Congresses, as leader of its small Democratic minority.

In 1868, he once again lost in the race for the governor of Indiana and subsequently retired from the Senate in March 1869. Thereafter, he returned to his private law practice in Indianapolis but maintained link with the state and national politics.

In 1872, in this third attempt, Hendricks was elected as the governor of Indiana, and served in this capacity from January 1873 to January 1877. His term as governor of Indiana was marked by the economic Panic of 1873 and he was opposed by a strong Republican majority in the Indiana General Assembly to enact any significant legislation.

In 1876, he ran unsuccessfully as the Democrat Party candidate for the Vice President of the United States. In 1880, the party nominated him for the vice presidency again but he declined for health reasons.

In the election of 1884, despite poor health, he was once again nominated for the Vice President of the United States on the Democratic Party's ticket, with Grover Cleveland as party’s presidential nominee. In this second attempt, Hendricks won and was elected for vice presidency.

Hendricks was inaugurated as the 21st Vice President of the United States on March 4, 1885. However, his term was cut short by his unexpected demise on November 25, 1885.

Major Works

During his tenure as governor of Indiana, Hendricks was successful in convincing legislature to enact election reform and judiciary reform. While serving at the post, he also proposed to build a new Indiana Statehouse, the cornerstone for which was laid in 1880, after he left office. The building was completed eight years later and is still in use.

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1845, ThomasHendricks married Eliza C. Morgan of North Bend, Ohio. They had a son, Morgan, who unfortunately died at the age of three.

Thomas Hendricks died unexpectedly in his sleep on November 25, 1885, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States,at the age of 66. His funeral was held in St. Paul's Cathedral, Indianapolis, and he was later interred in Indianapolis's Crown Hill Cemetery.

Thomas A. Hendricks Biography