Thomas Sumter

Thomas Sumter
Portrait by Rembrandt Peale (c. 1795)
United States Senator
from South Carolina
In office
December 15, 1801 – December 16, 1810
Preceded byCharles Pinckney
Succeeded byJohn Taylor
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1797 – December 15, 1801
Preceded byRichard Winn
Succeeded byRichard Winn
In office
March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byRichard Winn
Personal details
Born(1734-08-14)August 14, 1734
Hanover County, Virginia Colony
DiedJune 1, 1832(1832-06-01) (aged 97)
Near Stateburg, South Carolina
Resting placeThomas Sumter Memorial Park, Sumter County, South Carolina
Political partyDemocratic-Republican Party
Military service
Allegiance Great Britain
United States
Branch/serviceVirginia militia
Continental Army
Years of serviceVirginia militia (1755)
Continental Army (1776–1781)
Rank Brigadier General
Commands2nd South Carolina Regiment
Battles/wars

Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734 – June 1, 1832) was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served in the Continental Army as a brigadier-general during the Revolutionary War. After the war, Sumter was elected to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, where he served from 1801 to 1810, when he retired. Sumter was nicknamed the "Fighting Gamecock" for his military tactics during the Revolutionary War.