Thomas Ringland Stockdale (March 28, 1828 – January 8, 1899) was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi from 1886 to 1895, and a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1896 to 1897.

Thomas Ringland Stockdale
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1895
Preceded byHenry Smith Van Eaton
Succeeded byWalter McKennon Denny
Personal details
Born(1828-03-28)March 28, 1828
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJanuary 8, 1899(1899-01-08) (aged 70)
Summit, Mississippi, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Cemetery, Summit, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materUniversity of Mississippi

Biography

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Born at West Union Church near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Stockdale graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1856 and received a master's degree in 1859.[1][2] He taught school in Pike County, Mississippi,[3] received his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1859 and practiced in Woodville, Mississippi.[2][4]

During the Civil War, he served in the Confederate States Army. Enlisting as a private in the 16th Mississippi Infantry in 1861,[2] he was promoted to lieutenant, captain and major, and served as regimental adjutant. He later commanded a battalion in the 4th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment and then served as the regiment's second in command with the rank of lieutenant colonel.[5][6]

After the war Stockdale resumed the practice of law in Summit, Mississippi. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1868. He was also a Democratic presidential elector in 1872 and 1884.[7]

Stockdale was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1886 and served four terms, March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1895. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1894.[8][9][10][11]

In 1896 Stockdale was appointed by Governor Anselm J. McLaurin to fill a vacancy as a justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court and he served until 1897.[2][12][13]

He died in Summit, Mississippi on January 8, 1899, and was interred in Summit's Woodlawn Cemetery.[14][15][16]

Stockdale's home has been preserved by the Summit Historical Society, and the grounds of his home also contain a memorial to Stockdale.[17]

References

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  1. ^ Richard Zuczek, Encyclopedia of the Reconstruction Era, Volume 1, 2006, page 613
  2. ^ a b c d Thomas H. Somerville, "A Sketch of the Supreme Court of Mississippi", in Horace W. Fuller, ed., The Green Bag, Vol. XI (1899), p. 515.
  3. ^ Firebird Press, Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Mississippi Volume 2, Part 2, 1999, pages 840 to 841
  4. ^ John Howard Brown, The Cyclopedia of American Biography, Volume 7, page 219
  5. ^ Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta Quarterly, January, 1891, page 194
  6. ^ Broadfoot Publishing, Confederate Military History: Mississippi, 1987, page 481
  7. ^ Dunbar Rowland, Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons, Volume 2, 1907, page 734
  8. ^ Thomas William Herringshaw, Herringshaw's Encyclopedia of American Biography of the Nineteenth Century, 1901, page 894
  9. ^ Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Mississippi Official and Statistical Register, 1904, pages 315 to 317
  10. ^ Atlanta Constitution, The Campaign in Mississippi: Populists Are Making a Fight but Without Hope, October 8, 1894
  11. ^ New York Times, Missouri Democratic; They Elect Twelve Out of the Fifteen Members of Congress, November 7, 1894
  12. ^ Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
  13. ^ Mississippi Supreme Court, Cases Argued and Decided in the Supreme Court of Mississippi, Volume 74, 1898, page iii
  14. ^ Star Publishing Company, Reunion Proceedings of the Jefferson Class of '56, 1902, page 28
  15. ^ Thomas E. Spencer, Where They're Buried, 2009, page 213
  16. ^ Baltimore Sun, Ex-Judge Stockdale Dead, January 10, 1899
  17. ^ Summit Historical Society, Stockdale Dedication page, accessed November 19, 2012
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  • United States Congress. "T. R. Stockdale (id: S000934)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • T. R. Stockdale at Find a Grave
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 6th congressional district

1887-1895
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi
1896–1897
Succeeded by