Ohio Governor Thomas Worthington
State Website Office Dates: Dec 08, 1814 - Dec 14, 1818 Born: Jul 16, 1773 Passed: Jun 20, 1827 Birth State: West Virginia Party: Democratic-Republican Family: Married Eleanor Van Swearingen; ten children National Office(s) Served: Senator
THOMAS WORTHINGTON, the sixth governor of Ohio, was born in Charles Town, West Virginia on July 16, 1773. His early education was limited and attained in the common schools of his native state. After spending two years in the merchant marine, Worthington returned home and resumed his education, studying for a career in surveying. In 1798 he moved his family to Ross County, Ohio, and settled just outside of Chillicothe. Worthington first entered politics as a member of the Territorial House of Representatives, a position he held from 1799 to 1803 and held again in 1807. He also served as a delegate to the 1803 Constitutional Convention; and was a member of the U.S. Senate from 1803 to 1807 and 1810 to 1814. Worthington next secured the Democratic-Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor in 1814. He went on to win reelection to a second term in 1816. During his tenure, penal reform measures were lobbied for; regulations in the banking industry were promoted; educational improvements were endorsed; and funds were approved for a state library. After completing his term, Worthington won reelection to the Ohio House of Representatives, an office he held from 1821 to 1825. He also served as canal commissioner from 1818 until his death on June 20, 1827. Governor Thomas Worthington was buried in the Grandview Cemetery in Chillicothe, Ohio.
SOURCES:
Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.
THOMAS WORTHINGTON'S ADENA - ThinkTV
WorthingtonsAdena.pdf to THOMAS WORTHINGTON'S ADENA - ThinkTV
Thomas Worthington, an early Ohio senator and the sixth governor of Ohio, was born on July 16, 1773, near Charles. Town, Virginia. Worthington began a ...
General, Senator, 6th Governor of Ohio.
The pioneer village of Chillicothe, Northwest Territory, first known as Massiesville, to which General Thomas Worthington and his family removed from Virginia in 1798, was a small log-cabin settlement, typical of the best immigrant centers of the period. The rich bottom land of the Scioto River and the rolling terrain near which the village was located, had already attracted a considerable number of settlers. Some Virginia Revolutionary soldiers who were entitled to free land allotments - according to rank in service - had already located between the Scioto and Little Miami Rivers. Among those entitled by rank to large allotments in this Virginia Military Reservation between these two rivers, was General Darke, guardian of Thomas Worthington, an orphaned neighbor boy.
Unable to locate and survey his lands because of age and the hardships of the journey, General Darke delegated this duty to his ward, and subsequently sold the land to him. The opportunity this survey gave young Worthington to examine the quality of the land he had located for his guardian, determined him to dispose of his estate in Virgiinia and establish his permanent home at Chillicothe. Following his return to Virginia and the disposal of all of his interests there, he prepared at once for the comfortable transfer of his family and a number of former slaves to their new abode. With him and his accomplished wife came his brother, Richard Worthington, his sister and her husband, Dr. Edward Tiffin, Ohio's first governor.
The Ordinance of 1787, which prohibited human slavery in the Northwest Territory, gave General Worthington the opportunity he desired to manumit his slaves before he migrated, and to bring them with him as freed men. Emancipation in Virginia at that period required, also, the provision of a suitable home for the freedman. A few of them who declined emancipation and elected to remain in Virginia, were given opportunity to select their own masters. The others who came with the family settled in and near Chillicothe, where General and Mrs. Worthington could give them such personal aid and assistance as they needed while adapting themselves to a new life in a new country.
It was a memorable day, April 17, 1798, when the long journey by land and river was ended, and the little log-built village of Chillicothe on the Scioto River presented itself before their eyes. There was great rejoicing, for it marked the end of an arduous journey to the place of their choice, where new homes were to be established permanently, and their reminaing years were to be spent.
Following the building of a number of homes for those who came with him, Gen
WORTHINGTON, Thomas, (1773 - 1827)
Senate Years of Service: 1803-1807; 1810-1814 Party: Democratic Republican; Democratic Republican WORTHINGTON, Thomas, a Senator from Ohio; born in Jefferson County, Va. (now West Virginia), on July 16, 1773; completed preparatory studies; went to sea; studied surveying; moved to Ross County, Ohio, in 1796; member of the first and second Territorial legislatures 1799-1803; delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1803; elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate and served from April 1, 1803, to March 3, 1807; member, State house of representatives 1807; again elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Return J. Meigs, Jr., and served from December 15, 1810, until December 1, 1814, when he resigned, having been elected Governor; Governor of Ohio 1814-1818; canal commissioner from 1818 until his death; member, State house of representatives 1821-1822; died in New York City on June 20, 1827; interment in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio.
Bibliography
American National Biography; Dictionary of American Biography; Sears, Alfred Byron. Thomas Worthington: Father of Ohio Statehood. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1958.
THOMAS WORTHINGTON Ohio Governor years 1814- 1818
Thomas Worthington, sixth governor of Ohio, was born at his father's estate near present Charles Town, West Virginia, in 1773. His Quaker grandfather, Robert Worthington, came to America in 1714, and after residing near Philadelphia until about 1730, settled in the northern Shenandoah Valley, then in Virginia. Thomas' father, also named Robert, was a prominent planter and influential citizen. His estate adjoined that of Samuel Washington, and George Washington had a farm nearby. Left an orphan at seven, Thomas received little formal education. At eighteen he went to sea for two years and then returned to the modest estate he had inherited from his father in Berkeley County. He engaged in farming, stockraising, and surveying. In 1796 he made a trip to the Scioto country and determined to settle in the village, later named Chillicothe, then being laid out by his friend Nathaniel Massie. The next year he returned to Chillicothe with his brother-in-law Edward Tiffin, and each built a long cabin in the village. The following spring they brought their families and manumitted slaves and settled there. Both Tiffin and Worthington rose rapidly to places of leadership in the new territory. Worthington was elected to the first and second territorial legislatures, where he served on important committees. A Republican, he worked against the administration of the Federalist Governor St. Clair and went to Washington to represent the opposition to the governor and to lobby for immediate statehood for the eastern section of the territory. His efforts were successful and he became an influential member of the constitutional convention of 1802. Upon the organization of state government Worthington was elected to the house of representatives from Ross County, but was at once elected by the general assembly as one of the first two United States senators from Ohio. He served prominently in that body from 1803 to 1807 and again from 1811 to 1814. In the interim he was a member of the house in the sixth general assembly (1807-8). During his second term in congress he aroused much antagonism by opposing the entrance of the country into war with Great Britain, but vigorously supported the war after hostilities were begun. In the fall of 1814 Worthington was a popular candidate for governor and was elected in October by an overwhelming majority over Othniel Looker. Inaugurated as governor on December 8, his first concern was the successful prosecution of the war. After peace came he encouraged a strong militia, advocated county poor farms, proposed state regulation of banks, and favored a public elementary school system. Worthington had little opposition for reelection in 1816 and won a decisive victory over James Dunlap and Ethan Allen Brown. During this term, 1816-18, the governor continued to press the measures advocated in his first inaugural and to urge penal reforms and encourage home manufacturing. It was at the beginning of Worthington's second term that the state capital was moved from Chillicothe to Columbus. At the close of his administration Worthington retired from politics for a time and devoted his energies to his numerous business enterprises, which included farming, stockraising, milling, and river shipping. In 1821 he was elected to the general assembly from Ross County. In that year he lost by one vote election to the United States Senate to serve the remainder of William Trimble's unexpired term. Between 1821 and 1825 he served three terms in the state house of representatives, where he exerted much influence in support of progressive legislation, including an elementary public-school law and the authorization of canal construction. He was a member of the important commission for locating and supervising the construction of canals. He retired from politics after 1825 but continued his business activities in spite of failing health. He made several long trips in the interest of his business and in the hope of benefiting his health. On one of these he died in New York City, June 20, 1827. He was buried at Adena but was later moved to Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, where his grave is marked by a memorial stone. Worthington was a man of many talents. He was an astute busi- nessman, an honest statesman, and a capable leader. He was sincerely religious and his moral character was above reproach. He appreciated the beautiful in nature, in literature, and in architecture. Adena, his imposing mansion near Chillicothe, was noted for its refinement and hospitality. Its mistress and the mother of his ten children was the former Eleanor Swearingen, whom Worthington had married in Virginia in 1796. The Ohio Historical Society! S. WINIFRED SMITH
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Thomas Worthington (governor)
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Thomas Worthington
6th Governor of Ohio
In office
1814–1818
Preceded by
Othniel Looker
Succeeded by
Ethan Allen Brown
Personal details
Born July 16, 1773 Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Died June 20, 1827 (aged 53) New York City
Political party Democratic-Republican
Thomas Worthington (July 16, 1773 – June 20, 1827) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the sixth Governor of Ohio.
Contents
[hide] 1 Early life
2 Career
3 Death
4 Legacy
5 Sources
6 References
7 External links
[edit] Early life
Born in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), Worthington moved to Ross County, Ohio in 1796. The home he eventually built just outside of Chillicothe was called Adena and is the namesake of the Adena culture.
[edit] Career
He served in the Territorial House of Representatives from 1799 to 1803 and served as a Ross county delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1802.[1] He was a leader of the Chillicothe Junto, a group of Chillicothe Democratic-Republican politicians who brought about the admission of Ohio as a state in 1803 and largely controlled its politics for some years thereafter. Among his colleagues in the faction were Nathaniel Massie and Edward Tiffin.
Worthington was elected one of Ohio's first Senators in 1803, serving until 1807. He was returned to the Senate in December 1810 upon the resignation of Return J. Meigs, Jr. and served until December 1814, when he resigned after winning election to the governorship. He won re-election two years later, moving the state capital from Chillicothe to Columbus. Worthington did not seek re-election in 1818. In January, 1819, when the election was held to replace the retiring Jeremiah Morrow in the Senate, he held the lead through the first three ballots, only losing when factions aligned behind William A. Trimble on the fourth and final ballot.[2] He narrowly lost a bid for a partial term in the Senate in 1821, losing to the incumbent governor, Ethan Allen Brown, and so he instead returned to the Ohio House of Representatives.
[edit] Death
Worthington was initially buried at his estate in Adena, and was later interred at Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio.[3]
[edit] Legacy
Worthington is member of the Ohio Hall Of Fame.[4] The city of Worthington, Ohio, was named in Worthington's honor, as was Thomas Worthington High School.
Worthington is known as the "Father of the Ohio-Erie Canal".[5][6]
[edit] Sources
Thomas Worthington at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Worthington (governor)
[edit] References
1. "First Constitutional Convention, Convened November 1, 1802". Ohio Archaeological and Historical Publications V: 131–132. 1896.
2. The "Old Northwest" Genealogical Quarterly. April, 1903. Page 34.
3. "Thomas Worthington". Find A Grave. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
4. "Thomas Worthington". Find A Grave. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
5. "Grandview Cemetery". Grandview Cemetery. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
6. "Thomas Worthington". Find A Grave. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
[edit] External links
Ohio History Central
Ohio Memory
Articles and topics related to Thomas Worthington (governor)
Categories: 1773 births
1827 deaths
Governors of Ohio
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives
Northwest Territory officials
United States Senators from Ohio
People from Chillicothe, Ohio
Ohio Democratic-Republicans
Ohio Constitutional Convention (1802)
American surveyors
People from Charles Town, West Virginia
Democratic-Republican Party United States Senators
Northwest Territory House of Representatives
Burials at Grandview Cemetery, (Chillicothe, Ohio)
Thomas Worthington
Thomas Worthington
Thomas Worthington was an early Midwestern political leader and the sixth governor of Ohio.
Worthington was born on July 16, 1773, near Charles Town, Virginia (modern-day West Virginia). His father died while Worthington was a child, and his elder brothers raised him. At the age of eighteen, Worthington spent two years in the merchant marine. He returned to Virginia in 1793 and began to study surveying. In 1796, he assisted Duncan McArthur in surveying the Virginia Military District. He received payment in land and decided to move from Virginia to his land near Chillicothe, Ohio. Edward Tiffin, his brother-in-law, accompanied him. Before leaving Virginia, the two men freed their slaves. These men were both members of the Methodist Church and were opposed to slavery because of their religious beliefs. Several of these now free African-American men accompanied their former owners to the Northwest Territory. Upon arriving in the Northwest Territory, Worthington built his home, Adena, near Chillicothe. Benjamin Latrobe, the architect of several government buildings in Washington, DC, designed the home. Adena was one of the finest early homes in Ohio.
Worthington and Tiffin quickly emerged as political leaders in the Northwest Territory. From 1799 to 1803, Worthington served in the territorial legislature. A committed member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Worthington became a major opponent of Governor Arthur St. Clair and the Federalist Party. St. Clair actively opposed Ohio's admittance to the United States. He hoped that Ohio would not become a single state but rather two states. If this occurred, St. Clair believed that the Federalists would outnumber the Democratic-Republicans, and the Federalists would continue to control the government. Democratic-Republicans opposed St. Clair's efforts. Worthington, Tiffin, Nathaniel Massie, Michael Baldwin, and several others urged President Thomas Jefferson, to make Ohio a state. Worthington personally traveled to Washington, D.C. to urge Ohio statehood. Jefferson responded by approving the Enabling Act of 1802. This act called on the people of Ohio to form a constitutional convention and to fulfill the other requirements of the Northwest Ordinance to become a state. St. Clair denounced the Enabling Act, prompting Jefferson to remove St. Clair as territorial governor. Ohio became the seventeenth state of the United States in 1803.
Worthington served in the Ohio General Assembly briefly in 1803 but became one of Ohio's first two United States Senators in that same year. He served as a senator until 1807. He then became a member of the Ohio General Assembly for the next two years. In 1810, he returned to the United States Senate. While in the Senate, Worthington urged the United States government to send military assistance to the settlers of Ohio to aid them against the Indian forces of Tecumseh and the Prophet. He also believed that the United States was too weak to defend itself adequately against the British and opposed the War of 1812. He resigned his senate seat in December 1814 to become governor of Ohio. He was reelected governor in 1816.
As governor, Worthington advocated numerous social reforms, including the regulation of bars and taverns, state assistance to paupers, and prison reform. He also became one of the earliest advocates for a canal system and supported free public education in the state. Unfortunately for Worthington, the Ohio legislature refused to enact most of his proposals. However, by the mid to late 1820s, many of Worthington's ideas, such as canals and public education, had become realities in Ohio. After his second term as governor, Worthington remained active in public life and served two more terms in the Ohio legislature during the early 1820s. He died on June 20, 1827.
Governor's portrait of Thomas Worthington that hangs in the Ohio Statehouse. He served as one of the first United States Senators from Ohio from 1803-1807 and 1811-1814. From 1814-1818 Worthington served two, two year terms as governor.
References and Suggested Reading
The Governors of Ohio. Columbus: The Ohio Historical Society, 1954
Cayton, Andrew R.L. Frontier Republic: Ideology and Politics in the Ohio Country, 1780-1825. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1986. - Available from Amazon.com
Fess, Simeon D., ed. Ohio: A Four-Volume Reference Library on the History of a Great State. Chicago, IL: Lewis Publishing Company, 1937
Kalette, Linda Elise. The Papers of Thirteen Early Ohio Political Leaders: An Inventory to the 1976-77 Microfilm Editions. N.p.: N.p., 1977.
Sears, Alfred Byron. Thomas Worthington: Father of Ohio Statehood. Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1958. - Available from Amazon.com
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