Thomas Samuel Ashe was a U.S. Congressman

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 between 1873 and 1877. He had previously served in the Confederate Congress.

Early years

Born in Hawfields

Hawfields, North Carolina

Hawfields is an unincorporated community in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States.Hawfields was first populated by Ulster Irish and Western African immigrants as early as the 17th century but a firm establishment was not achieved until 1740-1750 and was originally called "Haw Old Fields"...

, Orange County, North Carolina

Orange County, North Carolina

Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...

, he attended Bingham's Academy in Hillsborough

Hillsborough, North Carolina

Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....

, then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, graduating in 1832. He was admitted to the bar in 1834 and began to practice law in Wadesboro, North Carolina

Wadesboro, North Carolina

Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,780 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Anson County.-Geography:Wadesboro is located at ....

 in 1835.

Politics

In 1842, Ashe was elected to a single term in the North Carolina House of Commons, from 1847 to 1851 he was solicitor of the fifth judicial district of North Carolina, and in 1854, he served in the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

. During the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

, Ashe served in the Confederate House of Representatives from 1861 to 1864, and was elected to the Confederate Senate in 1864, but the war concluded before he was able to serve.

In 1866, Ashe was state counselor for North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, and in 1868, he ran unsuccessfully for Governor

Governor of North Carolina

The Governor of North Carolina is the chief executive of the State of North Carolina, one of the U.S. states. The current governor is Bev Perdue, North Carolina's first female governor.-Powers:...

. He was elected for two terms in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

, serving from March 4, 1873 to March 3, 1877. Although he chose not to run again in 1876, he was elected an associate justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court

North Carolina Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...

 in 1878 and re-elected in 1886.

Death

Ashe was still serving on the court at the time of the death in Wadesboro in 1887.

Thomas Samuel Ashe was the cousin of fellow Congressmen John Baptista Ashe

John Baptista Ashe (representative)

John Baptista Ashe , born in Beaufort, North Carolina, was an American lawyer and the nephew of the Revolutionary War John Baptista Ashe. He served as a U.S. Congressman for Tennessee for one term ....

 and William Shepperd Ashe

William Shepperd Ashe

William Shepperd Ashe was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1849 and 1855.-Biography:...

.

External links

• Thomas Samuel Ashe on Find-A-Grave