Thomas Worthington (governor)

For other people named Thomas Worthington, see Thomas Worthington (disambiguation).

Thomas Worthington
6th Governor of Ohio
In office 1814–1818
Preceded by	Othniel Looker
Succeeded by	Ethan Allen Brown
Personal details
Born	July 16, 1773 Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia)
Died	June 20, 1827 (aged 53) New York City
Political party	Democratic-Republican

Thomas Worthington (July 16, 1773 – June 20, 1827) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the sixth Governor of Ohio.

Born in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia), Worthington moved to Ross County, Ohio in 1796. The home he eventually built just outside of Chillicothe was called Adena and happens to be the namesake of the Adena culture. He served in the Territorial House of Representatives from 1799 to 1803 and served as a Ross county delegate to the State Constitutional Convention in 1802. He was a leader of the Chillicothe Junto, a group of Chillicothe Democratic-Republican politicians who brought about the admission of Ohio as a state in 1803 and largely controlled its politics for some years thereafter. Among his colleagues in the faction were Nathaniel Massie and Edward Tiffin.

Worthington was elected one of Ohio's first Senators in 1803, serving until 1807. He was returned to the Senate in December 1810 upon the resignation of Return J. Meigs, Jr. and served until December 1814, when he resigned after winning election to the governorship. He won re-election two years later, moving the state capital from Chillicothe to Columbus. Worthington did not seek re-election in 1818. In January, 1819, when the election was held to replace the retiring Jeremiah Morrow in the Senate, he held the lead through the first three ballots, only losing when factions aligned behind William A. Trimble on the fourth and final ballot. He narrowly lost a bid for a partial term in the Senate in 1821, losing to the incumbent governor, Ethan Allen Brown, and so he instead returned to the Ohio House of Representatives.

Worthington is buried in Grandview Cemetery, Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, USA.

The city of Worthington, Ohio, was named in his honor, as was Thomas Worthington High School.

Sources

• Thomas Worthington at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• A New Nation Votes: American Election Returns, 1787-1825

References

Political offices
Preceded by Othniel Looker	Governor of Ohio 1814–1818	Succeeded by Ethan Allen Brown
Assembly seats
New district	Member of the Northwest Territory House of Representatives from Ross County 1799–1802 Served alongside: Elias Langham, Nathaniel Massie, Edward Tiffin	Ohio statehood
Ohio House of Representatives
New district	Representative from Ross County 1803 Served alongside: Michael Baldwin, Robert Culbertson, William Patton	Succeeded by William Creighton, Sr. James Dunlap John Evans Elias Langham as Representatives from Ross and Franklin Counties
Preceded by James Dunlap Nathaniel Massie David Shelby Abraham J. Williams	Representative from Ross, Franklin, and Highland Counties 1807–1808 Served alongside: Elias Langham, William Lewis, Jeremiah McLene	District eliminated
Preceded by John Bailhache John Entrekin William Vance	Representative from Ross County 1821–1823 Served alongside: 1821–1822: Archibald McLean, William Vance 1822–1823: Allison C. Looker, Anthony Walke	Succeeded by Edward King Allison C. Looker George Nashee
Preceded by Edward King Allison C. Looker George Nashee	Representative from Ross County 1824–1825 Served alongside: Isaac Cook	Succeeded by Isaac Cook Edward King
United States Senate
Preceded by None	United States Senator (Class 3) from Ohio April 1, 1803 – March 3, 1807 Served alongside: John Smith	Succeeded by Edward Tiffin
Preceded by Return J. Meigs, Jr.	United States Senator (Class 1) from Ohio December 15, 1810 – December 1, 1814 Served alongside: Alexander Campbell, Jeremiah Morrow	Succeeded by Joseph Kerr
Military offices
Preceded by David Ziegler	Adjutant General of Ohio 1807–1809	Succeeded by Joseph Kerr
Preceded by Isaac Van Horne	Adjutant General of Ohio 1811–1812	Succeeded by Isaac Van Horne