Thomas Dickens Arnold

Thomas D. Arnold
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833
Preceded byPryor Lea
Succeeded bySamuel Bunch
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Tennessee's 1st district
In office
March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843
Preceded byWilliam B. Carter
Succeeded byAndrew Johnson
Personal details
Born(1798-05-03)May 3, 1798
Spotsylvania County, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMay 26, 1870(1870-05-26) (aged 72)
Jonesborough, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyWhig
SpouseLoretta Rose Arnold
ProfessionAttorney

Thomas Dickens Arnold (May 3, 1798 – May 26, 1870) was an American politician who served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Tennessee's 2nd district from 1831 to 1833, and the 1st district from 1841 to 1843. Arnold, reportedly a slave owner,[1] was pro-Union. A staunch opponent of Andrew Jackson, he spent his first term in Congress trying to thwart the Jackson Administration's agenda, and subsequently helped establish the Whig Party in Tennessee. He was twice gerrymandered out of office by Jackson's allies in the state legislature.[2]

Described as "one of the most erratic politicians ever produced by East Tennessee,"[3] Arnold was remembered by his peers for his impassioned and unpredictable speeches, unwavering dedication to his positions, and ruthless use of wit and sarcasm. His attacks against Sam Houston in Congress provoked an assassination attempt from a Houston supporter in 1832. While Arnold provided vigorous opposition to Democrats such as Andrew Johnson, he frequently clashed with leaders of his own party, such as William "Parson" Brownlow and T.A.R. Nelson.

On the eve of the Civil War, Arnold remained solidly pro-Union. At the East Tennessee Convention, which met following Tennessee's secession from the Union in June 1861, Arnold advocated the separation of East Tennessee from the rest of the state, and called for the use of force if necessary. He remained openly defiant of the Confederacy for the duration of the war.[2]

  1. ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-13, retrieved 2022-01-15
  2. ^ a b Oliver Perry Temple, Mary Boyce Temple (compiler), Notable Men of Tennessee (New York: The Cosmopolitan Press, 1912), pp. 56-65.
  3. ^ Eric Russell Lacy, Vanquished Volunteers: East Tennessee Sectionalism from Statehood to Secession (East Tennessee State University Press, 1965), pp. 92-96, 96n, 119.