THOMAS

See also:

• THOMAS CORWIN (1794-1865)

CORWIN (1794-1865)  , American statesman and orator, was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, on the 29th of July 1794 . In 1798 his father, Matthias Corwin (1761-1829), removed to what later became Lebanon, Ohio, where the son worked on a farm, read much, and in 1817 was admitted to the bar . As an advocate he was at once successful, but after 1831 he devoted his attention chiefly to politics, identifying himself first with the Whig and after 1858 with the Republican party . He was a member of the lower house of the Ohio legislature in 1821, 1822 and 1829, and of the national House of Representatives from 1831 to 1840; was governor of Ohio in 1840-1842; served in the United States Senate from 1845 to 185o; was secretary of the treasury in the cabinet of President Fillmore in 1850—1853; was again a member of the national House of Representatives from 1859 to 1861; and from 1861 to 1864 was minister of the United States to Mexico—a position of peculiar difficulty at that time . As a legislator he spoke seldom, but always with great ability, his most famous speech being that of the 11th of February 1847 opposing the Mexican War . In 186o he was chairman of the House " Committee of Thirty-three," consisting of one member from each state, and appointed to consider the condition of the nation and, if possible, to devise some scheme for reconciling the North and the South . He is remembered chiefly as an orator . Many anecdotes have been told to illustrate his kindliness, his inimitable humour, and his remarkable eloquence . He died at Washington, D.C., on the 18th of December 1865 . See"the Life and Speeches of Thomas Corwin (Cincinnati, 1896), edited by Josiah Morrow; and an excellent character sketch, Thomas Corwin (Cincinnati, 1881), by A . P . Russell .