Hendricks, Thomas Andrews, 1819-1885

Thomas Andrews Hendricks was a lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator, Governor of Indiana (1873 to 1877), and U.S. Vice President (March to November 1885).

Born on September 7, 1819 in East Fultonham, Muskingum County, Ohio, Hendricks moved to Madison, Indiana with his family in 1820. They relocated to Shelbyville, Indiana two years later. In 1843, Hendricks became a lawyer and established his practice in Shelbyville. He maintained his law practice throughout his life. In 1848, Hendricks was elected as an Indiana state representative, and in 1851, he became a U.S. Representative, serving through 1855. He supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and allowed the expansion of slavery into the west based on popular sovereignty.

In 1855, Hendricks was appointed commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office, which issued 400,000 land patents and settled 20,000 disputed land cases under his leadership. He resigned in 1859 and returned to Indiana, where he settled in Indianpolis and resumed his law practice. In 1862 during the Civil War, he started a law firm with Oscar B. Hord, which was renamed Hendricks, Hord, and Hendricks in 1866. Hendricks also became a U.S. Senator again in 1862. As a senator, he argued against the military draft and was a vocal supporter of the U.S. Army's struggle for union.

After the war, Hendricks opposed Reconstruction, arguing that the seceding states were entitled to representation on the grounds that they never left the union. He also voted against the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and lost his subsequent bid for re-election, ending his term as senator in 1869.

From 1873 to 1877, Hendricks served as the Governor of Indiana. One of the major issues he faced was the state's post-war economic depression, which included high rates of unemployment, business failures, and labor strikes. Conrad Baker, the outgoing governor took his place in the law firm, which was renamed Baker, Hord, and Hendricks in 1873. The law firm continues today under the name Baker & Daniels LLP. In 1884, Hendricks became the U.S. Vice President alongside President Grover Cleveland. He died in office.

Hendricks was married to Eliza Carol (Morgan) Hendricks. The pair had only one child, who died at age three. Hendricks died on November 25, 1885 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.

(Wikipedia; FindaGrave)

Thomas Andrews Hendricks belonged to the following social groups: