Thomas Fitzgerald was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician who served as a judge and state legislator in both Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 and Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, and as a United States Senator from Michigan.

Fitzgerald was born in Germantown, in Herkimer County, New York

Herkimer County, New York

Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...

. His father was an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 immigrant, and fought with the Continental Army

Continental Army

The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

, was wounded and received a pension. Thomas received a common school education and fought with the U.S. Army the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. He was severely wounded and afterwards taught school for a time in Marcellus, New York

Marcellus (village), New York

Marcellus is a village located in the Town of Marcellus in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population was 1,826 at the 2000 census. The Village of Marcellus is southwest of Syracuse and is in the southern part of the Town of Marcellus.-History:...

. In 1819 he moved to Boonville, Indiana

Boonville, Indiana

Boonville is a city in Boon Township, Warrick County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,834 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Warrick County. Founded in 1818 and named for Jesse Boon, father of Ratliff Boon...

, where he taught school and studied law. He was admitted to the bar

Bar association

A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...

 in 1821 and began a practice in Booneville. He was a member of the State House of Representatives in 1821 and from 1825 to 1827. He was a probate judge in Indiana in 1829.

In 1832, Fitzgerald was appointed keeper of the lighthouse at the mouth of the St. Joseph River

St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)

The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...

 and moved to St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Joseph, Michigan

St. Joseph is a city in the US state of Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,789. It lies on the shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, about east-northeast of Chicago. It is the county...

. He was clerk of Berrien County

Berrien County, Michigan

Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....

 in 1834 and a regent of the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in 1837.

He was appointed bank commissioner in 1838 to investigate what were called "wildcat" banks and was served in the State house of representatives in 1839. He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...

 in 1839 and was appointed as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the U.S. Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass

Lewis Cass was an American military officer and politician. During his long political career, Cass served as a governor of the Michigan Territory, an American ambassador, a U.S. Senator representing Michigan, and co-founder as well as first Masonic Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Michigan...

, serving in the 30th Congress from June 8, 1848 until March 4, 1849.

He moved to Niles, Michigan

Niles, Michigan

Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...

 in 1851 and served as probate judge of Berrien County from 1852 to 1855. He died in Niles and is interred in Silverbrook Cemetery.

External links

• Thomas Fitzgerald at Find A Grave
  Find A Grave
  Find a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...