Corwin, Thomas

Corwin, Thomas, 1794–1865, American politician, b. Bourbon co., Ky. A lawyer, he was an Ohio legislator in the 1820s, a U.S. Representative (1831–40), and governor of Ohio (1840–42). In the U.S. Senate (1845–50) Corwin, a Whig, violently opposed the Mexican War. He was Secretary of the Treasury (1850–53) under President Fillmore, and although not entirely approving of the Republican position on slavery, he reentered the House (1859–61) as a member of that party. He was minister to Mexico from 1861 to 1864.

Bibliography

See biography by J. Morrow (1896).

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Corwin, Thomas (1794–1865) governor, U.S. representative/senator; born in Bourbon County, Ky. A lawyer, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives (Whig, Ohio; 1831–40), then became Ohio's governor (1841–43). In the U.S. Senate (1845–50), he denounced the Mexican War, predicting that acquisition of more territory would fan regional conflict. President Millard Fillmore's treasury secretary (1851–53), he joined the Republican Party, becoming Lincoln's ambassador to Mexico (1861–64).