Thomas G. Alvord

Thomas Gold Alvord (December 20, 1810 Onondaga, Onondaga County, New York - October 26, 1897 Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York) was an American lawyer, merchant and politician. Throughout his political career he was known as "Old Salt"

Life

In 1813, the family removed to Lansingburgh, New York. He graduated from Yale College in 1828. Then he studied law with Thomas A. Tomlinson and George A. Simmons at Keeseville, New York, was admitted to the bar in 1832, and commenced practice at Salina, New York. In 1846, he became a lumber merchant.

He began his political career as a Democrat, joined the Free Soil Party with Samuel J. Tilden in 1848, and was elected to the Assembly term of 1858 as a Democrat. In 1861, after Fort Sumter was fired on, he became a Union Democrat, chaired the Union Convention at Syracuse, was nominated to run for the Assembly, and was endorsed by the Republicans and elected without opposition. For the term of 1864, he was elected as a Republican, and henceforth remained a member of this party.

He was a member from Onondaga County of the New York State Assembly from 1844 to 1853, 1858, 1861, 1864, from 1870 to 1872, and from 1875 to 1882. He was Speaker in 1858, 1864 and 1879.

He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1865 to 1866.

He was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Conventions in 1867 and 1894, and was chosen vice president on both occasions.

He was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, N.Y.

ources

* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/alt-amersoon.html] Political Graveyard
* [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9503E0DC1630E033A2575BC0A9639C94659ED7CF&oref=slogin] Republican caucus for presiding officers of State Constitutional Convention in 1894, with short bios, in NYT on May 8, 1894
* [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A01EEDB1039E433A25754C2A9669D94669ED7CF] Obit in NYT on October 27, 1897