Thomas G. Alvord

Thomas Gold Alvord
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office January 1, 1865 – December 31, 1866
Preceded by	David R. Floyd-Jones
Succeeded by	Stewart L. Woodford
Speaker of the New York State Assembly
In office January 1, 1879 – December 31, 1879
Preceded by	James W. Husted
Succeeded by	George H. Sharpe
In office January 1, 1864 – December 31, 1864
Preceded by	Theophilus C. Callicot
Succeeded by	George Gilbert Hoskins
In office January 25, 1858 – December 31, 1858
Preceded by	DeWitt C. Littlejohn
Succeeded by	DeWitt C. Littlejohn
Minority Leader of the New York State Assembly
In office January 1, 1882 – December 31, 1882
Preceded by	Erastus Brooks
Succeeded by	Theodore Roosevelt
Member of the New York State Assembly
In office January 1, 1877 – December 31, 1882
Preceded by	Allen Munroe
Succeeded by	James Geddes
In office January 1, 1874 – December 31, 1875
Preceded by	William H. H. Gere
Succeeded by	Allen Munroe
In office January 1, 1870 – December 31, 1872
Preceded by	James V. Kendall
Succeeded by	William H. H. Gere
Constituency	Onondaga County, 1st District
In office January 1, 1864 – December 31, 1864
Preceded by	Elizur Clark
Succeeded by	Daniel P. Wood
In office January 1, 1862 – December 31, 1862
Preceded by	Austin Myers
Succeeded by	Elizur Clark
In office January 1, 1858 – December 31, 1858
Preceded by	Sidney Smith
Succeeded by	Henry W. Slocum
Constituency	Onondaga County, 2nd district
Personal details
Born	(1810-12-20)December 20, 1810 Onondaga, New York, US
Died	October 26, 1897(1897-10-26) (aged 86) Syracuse, New York, US
Resting place	Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse, New York, US
Political party	Republican
Other political affiliations	Free Soil Democratic
Spouses	Amelia Ann Kellogg Charlotte Curtis Merrill Alvord
Children	5
Education	Yale College (1828)
Occupation	Attorney
Signature

Thomas Gold Alvord (December 20, 1810 – October 26, 1897) was an American lawyer, merchant and politician. Throughout his political career he was known as Old Salt. He served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1865 to 1866 and was a longtime member of the New York State Assembly. He served as Speaker three times, including 1858, 1864, and 1879.

Life

He was born on December 20, 1810, in Onondaga, New York, to Elisha Alvord and Helen Lansing. His grandfather Thomas Gold Alvord was a soldier in the French and Indian War and served in the American Revolutionary War. His ancestor Alexander Alvord, immigrated from Somersetshire, England, and settled at East Winsor, Connecticut, in 1634. His maternal ancestor, Abram Jacob Lansing, left Holland in 1630, and located at Fort Orange. He became the patroon of a large grant of land which he called Lansingburgh.

In 1813, the family moved to Lansingburgh, New York. At the age of 15, he entered Yale College, graduating 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 in 1848, and was elected to the Assembly term of 1858 as a Democrat. In 1861, he became a War 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 terms from 1864 to 1872, he was elected as a Republican. For the term of 1874, he was elected as an Independent, defeating the Republican incumbent.

He was a member from Onondaga County of the New York State Assembly in 1844, 1858, 1862, 1864, 1870, 1871, 1872, 1874, 1875, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881 and 1882. He was Speaker in 1858, 1864 and 1879.

He was the 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 died on October 26, 1897, in Syracuse, New York, and was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery there.

External links

^  Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Alvord, Thomas Gold". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 100.