Thomas Corwin

Thomas Corwin
20th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office
July 23, 1850 – March 6, 1853
PresidentMillard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
Preceded byWilliam M. Meredith
Succeeded byJames Guthrie
United States Minister to Mexico
In office
May 21, 1861 – April 27, 1864
PresidentAbraham Lincoln
Preceded byJohn B. Weller
Succeeded byRobert Shufelt
United States Senator
from Ohio
In office
March 4, 1845 – July 20, 1850
Preceded byBenjamin Tappan
Succeeded byThomas Ewing
15th Governor of Ohio
In office
December 16, 1840 – December 14, 1842
Preceded byWilson Shannon
Succeeded byWilson Shannon
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Ohio
In office
March 4, 1831 – May 30, 1840
Preceded byJames Shields
Succeeded byJeremiah Morrow
Constituency2nd district (1831–1833)
4th district (1833–1840)
In office
March 4, 1859 – March 12, 1861
Preceded byAaron Harlan
Succeeded byRichard A. Harrison
Constituency7th district
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
from the Warren County district
In office
1829–1830
Preceded byBenjamin Baldwin
James McEwen
Succeeded byJacoby Halleck
Joseph Whitehill
In office
1821–1823
Preceded byJohn Bigger
William Schenck
Succeeded byJohn Houston
David Sutton
Personal details
Born(1794-07-29)July 29, 1794
Bourbon County, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedDecember 18, 1865(1865-12-18) (aged 71)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyWhig (Before 1858)
Republican (1858–1865)
SpouseSarah Ross
Signature

Thomas Corwin (July 29, 1794 – December 18, 1865), also known as Tom Corwin, The Wagon Boy, and Black Tom was a politician from the state of Ohio. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and served as the 15th governor of Ohio and the 20th Secretary of the Treasury. After affiliating with the Whig Party, he joined the Republican Party in the 1850s. Corwin is best known for his sponsorship of the proposed Corwin Amendment, which was presented in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the oncoming American Civil War.

Corwin was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, but he grew up in Lebanon, Ohio. After serving as a wagon boy in the War of 1812, he established a legal practice in Lebanon. He became a prosecuting attorney and won election to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1830 to 1840, resigning from Congress to take office as Ohio's governor. He was defeated for re-election in 1842 but was elected by the state legislature to the United States Senate in 1844. As a Senator, he became a prominent opponent of the Mexican–American War. He resigned from the Senate to become Secretary of the Treasury under President Millard Fillmore.

Corwin returned to the United States House of Representatives in 1859. He led the House of Representatives' effort to end the secessionist crisis that arose following the 1860 elections. Corwin sponsored a constitutional amendment that would have forbidden the federal government from outlawing slavery, even through further constitutional amendments. Though several states ratified the amendment, it did not prevent the outbreak of the civil war. Corwin resigned from Congress in March 1861 to become the United States Ambassador to Mexico. He held that position until 1864 and died the following year.