Thomas G. Alvord

Thomas Gold Alvord ( born December 20 1810 in Onondaga, Onondaga County, New York, † October 26, 1897 in Syracuse, Onondaga County, New York) was an American lawyer, merchant and politician. As a result of his political activity, he became known as " Old Salt ".

Career

His family moved in 1813 after Lansingburgh (New York). He graduated in 1828 at Yale College. He then studied law with the later U.S. Representative Thomas A. Tomlinson and George A. Simmons in Keeseville (New York), 1832 was admitted to the bar and then began in Salina (New York ) to practice. He worked in 1846 as a tree timber merchant.

Alvord began his political career as a Democrat, then switched in 1848 with Samuel J. Tilden to the Free Soil Party and was then re-elected in 1858 as a Democrat in the New York State Assembly. After the incident at Fort Sumter in 1861 he became a Union Democrat and had presided at the Union Convention in Syracuse. He was nominated for Assembly, confirmed by the Republicans and elected unopposed. For the term of 1864 he was elected as a Republican and remained there from a member of that party.

He represented the Onondaga County in New York State Assembly from 1844 to 1853, 1858, 1861, 1864, 1870 to 1872 and again from 1875 to 1882. During this time he held in 1858, 1864, and in 1879 the post of Speaker. Between 1865 and 1866 he held the office of Lieutenant Governor of New York. Then he worked in the years 1867 and 1894 as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of New York, where he was elected both times vice-president.

He died in 1897 in Syracuse and was buried there in the Oakwood Cemetery.