Thomas Collins (governor)

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Thomas Collins
honorific-suffix =


imagesize =
small

office = President of Delaware
term_start = October 28 1786
term_end = March 29 1789
predecessor = Nicholas Van Dyke
successor = Jehu Davis
birth_date = 1732
birth_place = Smyrna, Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1789|3|29|1732|7|1
death_place = Smyrna, Delaware
spouse = Sarah
party =
residence = Smyrna, Delaware
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession = lawyer
religion = Episcopalian

Thomas Collins (1732 – March 29,1789) was an American lawyer and politician from Smyrna, in Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the American Revolution, and served in the Delaware General Assembly and as President of Delaware.

Early life and family

Collins was born in 1732 in Duck Creek, now Smyrna, Delaware, married Sarah, and had four children, William, Elizabeth, Mary, and Sarah. His sister was the wife of former Governor John Cook. Collins was trained in the law, but never practiced, and must have had considerable wealth available to him as he purchased several large tracts of land in the Duck Creek area early in life. They lived first at "Gloster" on the south side of Dawson's Branch and after 1771 at "Belmont Hall" now on U.S. Highway 13, south of Smyrna. They were members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

American Revolution

Collins began his military career during the American Revolution as Lieutenant Colonel in Caesar Rodney's Upper Kent militia and within a year was a Brigadier General of the Delaware Militia. Collins served with General George Washington in New Jersey in 1777, but returned home to contend with loyalist uprisings in Sussex County. He was probably involved in the efforts to block General William Howe on his march from the Elk River, but there is no evidence that he was at the actual Battle of Brandywine.

Political career

Collins served as Sheriff of Kent County in 1764, and was a member of the Colonial Assembly in five of the nine annual sessions during the period from the 1767/68 session through the 1775/76 session. He was a member of the Delaware Constitutional Convention of 1776 and was elected to two terms in the Legislative Council beginning with the 1776/77 session and continuing through the 1782/83 session, serving as the Speaker in the 1778/79 session and in the 1781/82 session. In 1782 he became a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. The Delaware General Assembly unanimously elected him State President in 1786 and he served from October 28 1786 until his death on March 29 1789. It was during his term of office that Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7 1787.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
"(sessions while President)"
-!Year!Assembly!!Senate Majority!Speaker!!House Majority!Speaker
-
1786/87
11th|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |George Craighead|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |John Cook
-
1787/88
12th|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |Thomas McDonough|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |Thomas Rodney
-
1788/89
13th|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |George Mitchell|
Party shading/Federalist |"non-partisan"
Party shading/Federalist |Jehu Davis
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Death and legacy

Collins died March 29 1789 in Duck Creek, now Smyrna, Delaware. He was buried in the Collins Family Cemetery, but his remains were later moved to the St. Peter's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Smyrna. He was the first State President to die in office.

The Thomas Collins state office building on U.S. Highway 13 in Dover, Delaware is named in his honor.

Almanac

Elections were held October 1st and members of the General Assembly took office on October 20th, or the following weekday. Legislative Councilmen had a three year term and Assemblymen had a one year term. The General Assembly chose the State President for a term of three years.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=8 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Took Office! Left Office! notes
-Party shading/Anti-Administration
Sheriff
Judiciary
Dover|
1764
1767
Kent County
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Assemblyman
Legislature
New Castle
1767
October 20 1767
October 21 1768|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Assemblyman
Legislature
New Castle
1768
October 21 1768
October 20 1769|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Assemblyman
Legislature
New Castle
1769
October 21 1769
October 20 1770|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Assemblyman
Legislature
New Castle
1772
October 21 1772
October 20 1773|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Assemblyman
Legislature
New Castle
1775
October 21 1775
June 15 1776|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Delegate
Convention
Dover
1776
August 27 1776
September 20 1776
State Constitution
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Councilman
Legislature
New Castle
1776
October 20 1776
October 20 1779|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Councilman
Legislature
Dover
1778
October 20 1779
October 20 1782|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Judge
Judiciary
Dover|
1782
1786
Court of Common Pleas
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State President
Executive
Dover

October 28 1786
March 29 1789|
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly "service"
-! Dates! Assembly! Chamber! Majority! Governor! Committees! District
-Party shading/Federalist
1776/77
1st
State Council
"non-partisan"
John McKinly|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Federalist
1777/78
2nd
State Council
"non-partisan"
George Read|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Federalist
1778/79
3rd
State Council
"non-partisan"
Caesar Rodney
Speaker
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Federalist
1779/80
4th
State Council
"non-partisan"
Caesar Rodney|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Federalist
1780/81
5th
State Council
"non-partisan"
Caesar Rodney
Speaker
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Federalist
1781/82
6th
State Council
"non-partisan"
John Dickinson
Speaker
Kent "at-large"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

*cite book |title = History of the State of Delaware |last= Conrad |first= Henry C. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Wickersham Company |location= Lancaster, Pennsylvania |pages= |year= 1908 |id=
*cite book |title = History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1984 |id=
*cite book |title = Memoirs of the Senate |last = Martin |first = Roger A. |coauthors = |work = |publisher = Roger A. Martin |location = Newark, DE |year = 1995 |id =
*cite book |title = Federalist Delaware 1775-1815 |last= Munroe |first= John A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Rutgers University |location= New Brunswick, New Jersey |pages= |year= 1954 |id=
*cite book |title = Biographical Directory of American and Revolutionary Governors 1607-1789 |last = Racino |first = John W. |year = 1980 |publisher = Meckler Books |location = Westport, CT |id = ISBN 0-930466-00-4
*cite book |title = History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols |last = Scharf |first = John Thomas |coauthors = |work = |publisher = L. J. Richards & Co |location = Philadelphia |year = 1888 |id =
*cite book |title = Delaware Continentals, 1776-1783 |last = Ward |first = Christopher L. |coauthors = |work = |publisher = Historical Society of Delaware |location = Wilmington, DE |year = 1941 |id = ISBN 0-924117-21-4
*cite book |title = Forgotten Heroes of Delaware |last= Wilson |first= Emerson. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Deltos Publishing Company |location= Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages= |year= 1969 |id=

=

* [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-03.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery] , "Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover."

External links

* [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov1.htm#tcollins Thomas Collins at "Delaware’s Governors"]
*Find A Grave|id=7447826

Places with more information

* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware] , 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware [phone]
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library] , 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware [phone]