26o
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
C)hio, and there taught school, with young
Thurman as one of his pupils, and who
later entered an academy at Chillicothe,
v.'here his proficiency in mathematics won
for him the sobriquet of "right-angled, tri-
angled Thurman." At the age of eighteen
he began law studies under his uncle,
William Allen, and after three years thus
occupied, he became private secretary
to Governor Lucas, of Ohio, at the same
time continuing in law studies under Judge
Swayne. After being admitted to the bar,
he became a partner of his uncle at Chilli-
cothe, who soon engaged in politics, Thur-
man succeeeding to the business of the firm.
In 1844 he was elected to congress, being
the youngest member of that body. He de-
clined a renomination, and practiced his pro-
fession until 1851, when he was elected to
the supreme court of Ohio, in which posi-
tion he remained for four years, being chief
justice for one-half of that period. He then
resumed his law practice, in which he con-
tinued until 1867, when he received the
unanimous Democratic nomination for gov-
ernor, and at the election was defeated by
Rutherford B. Hayes (afterwards Presi-
dent), but reduced the Republican majority
of 42,000 the year before to less than 3,000.
The legislature was Democratic, and Mr.
Thurman was at once elected United States
scnatnr, to succeed Ben Wade. He took his
seat March 4, 1869, and at once became
leader of the Democratic minority. His
speeches on the Geneva award and the Pa-
cific railway funding bill attracted wide at-
tention. He was reelected, and closed his
twelve years' service March 4, 1881, with a
reputation which stood among the highest
for judicial fairness, and for dignity and
strength in debate, especially on questions
of constitutional law. He ser\ed usefully
on the committees on the judiciary and pri-
vate land claims. He was the author of an
act ( the "Thurman Act") to compel the
Pacific railroad corporations to fulfill their
obligations to the government, and which
he forced through the senate, in spite of the
powerful railroad influences. On retiring
fiom the senate, he resumed his law prac-
tice, and was particularly prominent in the
Bell Telephone patent contest, being on
principal in opposition to a monopoly. In
1886 he was nominated by the Democratic
caucus of the legislature for United States
senate, but was defeated. In 1884 his name
was brought forward for the Democratic
presidential nomination, but was not seri-
ously considered. In 1887 he declined a
position on the interstate commerce com-
mission. He was the Democratic nominee
for vice-president in 1888, but his ticket was
defeated. He married Mrs. Mary (Dun)
Tompkins, of Chillicothe, Ohio. He died
December 12, 1895.
English, Thomas Dunn, born in Philadel- I hia, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1819, of Quaker ancestors, who settled in New Jersey, in 1684. He was educated chiefly in private academies and at the Friends' boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey, ^^'hen only seventeen years of age he already wrote for the "Philadelphia Press." He graduated in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1839, but after a short prac- tice he studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1842. He edited a daily paper in New "N'ork in 1844, and in 1845. issued a literary magazine, "The Aristidean." but only a single volume appeared. In 1848 he edited a humorous periodical. "John Donkey," and
