Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/149

 THOMAS

THOMAS

1831, and practised in Easton. He was a delegate to the state constitutional convention, 1836; a representative in the lower house of the state legislature. 1838, and a representative from Mary- land in the 26th congress, 1839-41, serving in the state legislature, 1843-45, and subsequently became judge of the land-office court of the eastern Maryland shore. He was governor of Maryland, 1848-51 ; comptroller of the U.S. treas- ury, 1851-53 ; collector of the port of Baltimore, 1853-60 ; U.S. commissioner of patents from Feb. 16 to Dec. 10, 1860, when he was appointed secretary of the treasury by President Buchanan to succeed Howell Cobb, resigned, and served from Dec. 10,

1860, to Jan. 11,

1861, when he was succeeded by John A. Dix. He was returned to the state leg- islature in 1866 ; was elected U.S. senator, Feb- 19, 1868, but was refused a seat on account of his Confederate sentiments ; was a Democratic rep- resentative from Maiyland in the 44th congress, 1875-77 ; and a representative in the Maryland legislature, 1878. He practised law in Easton until his death, which occurred in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 2, 1890.

THOflAS, Theodore, musician, was born in Esens, Hanover, Germany, Oct. 11, 1835 ; son of August and Sophia Thomas. He received his early musical training from his father, a violinist, and came with his parents to the United States in 1845, having already made his debul in Ger- many in 1841. He continued his musical educa- tion in New York city, where he also appeared as a solo violinist ; toured the south in 1851, and upon his return to New York played as first vio- linist, and subsequently acted as orchestral leader in the operatic performances of Jenny Lind, Henrietta Sontag, Guilletta Grisi and Guiseppi Mario, 1851-61. With other musicians, he gave a series of chamber concerts in New York city, 1855-69, and in 1864 inaugurated his symphony concerts in Irving hall, which he con- tinued until 1878, with the exception of the years 1869-72, when he toured the country with his own orchestra, founded in 1867, and main- tained until 1888. He also conducted a series of nightly concerts at Terrace and Central Park gardens ; was conductor of the Cincinnati bien- nial musical festivals ; director of the Cincinnati College of Music, 1878-80 ; again made a tour of the western states, 1883 ; was conductor of the American Opera company, 1885-87, and in 1891 became conductor of the Chicago orchestra, a position he still held in 1903. Mr. Thomas was twice married ; first, to Minna L. Rhodes of New

York city ; and secondly, to Rose, daughter of Charles and Emily (Hopkins) Fay of Chicago, 111. The honorary degree of Mus.D. was conferred upon him by Yale in 1880, and by Hamilton in 1881, and the fiftieth anniversity of his arrival in the United States was celebrated in July, 1895, He was a member of the New York Philharmonic society, 1853-58, and its conductor, 1877-91 ; con- ductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic society, 1863-91, with an interregnum of a few years ; a founder of the Wagner union of New York in 1872 ; organizer of the chorus society that gave the Wagner memorial concert ; and musical director of the World's Columbian exposition in 1893. His interpretation of both classic and modern composers exercised a wide-spread educational influence in the development of musi- cal culture in America.

THOMAS, Thomas Ebenezer, educator, was born at Chelmsford, England, Dec. 23, 1812. He was graduated from Miami university, A.B., 1834, A.M., 1837; taught school at Rising Sun, Ind., 1834-35, and at Franklin, Ohio, 1835-36; was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Ox- ford, Ohio, in October, 1836 ; ordained by the presbytery of Cincinnati in July, 1837, and served as pastor at Harrison, Ohio, 1837-48, and at Ham- ilton, 1838-49. He was president of Hanover college, Ind., 1849-54; professor of Biblical litera- ture and exegesis in New Albany Theological seminary, Ind., 1854-57; stated supply in New Albany, 1857-58 ; pastor at Dayton, Ohio, 1858- 71, and professor of New Testament Greek and exegesis in Lane Theological seminary, Cincin- natti, 1871-75. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Wabash college, Crawford ville, Ind., 1850, and was a trustee of Miami, 1869-72. He died in Cincinnati, Ohio, Feb. 3, 1875.

THOMAS, William Widgery, colonizer, diplo- matist, author, was born in Portland, Maine, Aug. 26, 1839; son of William Widgery and Elizabeth White (Goddard) Thomas ; grandson of Elias and Elizabeth (Widgery) Thomas, and of Henry and Eliza (Payson) Goddard, and a de- scendant of George Cleve, who founded Portland, 1632, and in 1643 purchased, with Alexander Rigby, of England, the plantation known as Ly- gonia, becoming deputy-president of the province. William Widgery Thomas, Sen., was mayor of Portland, 1861-62. William Widgery Thomas was graduated from Bowdoin college, A.B., 1860, A.M., 1863. He was U.S. bearer of despatches, carrying a treaty to Turkey, 1862, became vice- consul-general at Constantinople, acting consul, Galatz, Moldavia, and war-consul at Gothenburg, Sweden, until 1865, when he resigned, receiving the "special thanks of the department of state " for his services. He was admitted to the Maine bar, 1866, and at once entered upon the active