Thomas Holdsworth BLAKE, Congress, IN (1792-1849)

BLAKE, Thomas Holdsworth, a Representative from Indiana; born in Calvert County, Md., June 14, 1792; attended the public schools; studied law in Washington, D.C.; member of the militia of the District of Columbia which took part in the Battle of Bladensburg in 1814; moved to Kentucky and thence to Indiana; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Terre Haute, Ind.; prosecuting attorney and judge of the circuit court; abandoned the practice of law to engage in business; member of the State house of representatives; elected as an Adams to the Twentieth Congress (March 4, 1827-March 3, 1829); was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1828 to the Twenty-first Congress; was appointed Commissioner of the General Land Office by President Tyler on May 19, 1842, and served until April 1845; chosen president of the Erie & Wabash Canal Co.; visited England as financial agent of the State of Indiana and, while returning, died in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 28, 1849; interment in Woodlawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Ind.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present