Benjamin Thomas (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Thomas (February 12, 1813 – September 27, 1878) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts and an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Early years Benjamin Thomas was born in Boston on February 12, 1813. In 1819, he moved with his parents to Worcester, Massachusetts, and attended Lancaster Academy. He was the grandson of publisher Isaiah Thomas. He graduated from Rhode Island's Brown University in 1830. Thomas studied law at Harvard Law School and with his cousin, Pliny Merrick of Worcester. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in Worcester. Political career Throughout his life, Thomas held several local offices. In 1842, he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was commissioner of bankruptcy in 1842, judge of probate for Worcester County 1844-1848, and a presidential elector on the Whig ticket in 1848. Thomas was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1853 to 1859. Thomas continued the practice of law in Boston. In 1861 he was elected as a Unionist to the 37th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Charles F. Adams, and served from June 11, 1861,