Coastal Azalea – Rhododendron atlanticum

by | Dec 19, 2023 | Azalea

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Jefferson Gage Thurber (December 30, 1807 – May 6, 1857) was an American lawyer, Democratic Party politician, and Michigan pioneer. He was a member of the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives, and served as the 16th speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives in 1851.

Biography

Jefferson G. Thurber was born in Unity, New Hampshire, and while a child moved to Canandaigua, New York, with his parents. He received his education at the Canandaigua Academy, then taught Latin and mathematics while studying law.[1][2]

In 1833, he went west to the Michigan Territory and started a legal practice in Monroe, where he resided for most of the rest of his life. He quickly became involved in politics, and was elected prosecuting attorney and then probate judge. In 1843, he was elected to the Michigan Senate and served three years as one of the representatives in the 3rd Senate district (in this era Michigan's senators were elected in multi-member districts). He was subsequently elected to a single term in the Michigan House of Representatives, representing Monroe County in the 1851 session, and he was chosen as speaker of the House for that session.[1] He was also a delegate to the 1856 Democratic National Convention which nominated James Buchanan over the incumbent, President Franklin Pierce.[3]

He died at his home in Monroe on May 6, 1857.[4]

Personal life and family

Jefferson G. Thurber was the second child and eldest son of Samuel Hallet Thurber and his first wife, Sara (née Gage) Thurber.[2] Several of Thurber's siblings also moved to Michigan and prospered.

Jefferson Thurber married Mary Bartlett Gerrish in 1834, they had at least eight children, though two died in infancy.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Bulkley, John McClelland, ed. (1913). History of Monroe County, Michigan. Vol. 1. The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 261–262. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Wing, Talcott Enoch, ed. (1890). History of Monroe County, Michigan. Munsell & Company. pp. 249–250. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Thurber, Jefferson G.", The Political Graveyard
  4. ^ "Death of the Hon. Jefferson G. Thurber". Buffalo Morning Express. May 12, 1857. p. 2. Retrieved May 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
Michigan House of Representatives
Preceded by
Norman Barnes
 Member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the Monroe County district
February 5, 1851 – January 5, 1853 		Succeeded by
Alfred G. Bates
Preceded by Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives
February 5, 1851 – June 28, 1851 		Succeeded by
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