Thomas Corwin

Thomas Corwin
20th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office July 23, 1850 – March 6, 1853
President	Millard Fillmore Franklin Pierce
Preceded by	William M. Meredith
Succeeded by	James Guthrie
United States Minister to Mexico
In office May 21, 1861 – April 27, 1864
President	Abraham Lincoln
Preceded by	John B. Weller
Succeeded by	Robert Shufelt
United States Senator from Ohio
In office March 4, 1845 – July 20, 1850
Preceded by	Benjamin Tappan
Succeeded by	Thomas Ewing
15th Governor of Ohio
In office December 16, 1840 – December 14, 1842
Preceded by	Wilson Shannon
Succeeded by	Wilson Shannon
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
In office March 4, 1831 – May 30, 1840
Preceded by	James Shields
Succeeded by	Jeremiah Morrow
Constituency	2nd district (1831–1833) 4th district (1833–1840)
In office March 4, 1859 – March 12, 1861
Preceded by	Aaron Harlan
Succeeded by	Richard A. Harrison
Constituency	7th district
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the Warren County district
In office 1829–1830
Preceded by	Benjamin Baldwin James McEwen
Succeeded by	Jacoby Halleck Joseph Whitehill
In office 1821–1823
Preceded by	John Bigger William Schenck
Succeeded by	John Houston David Sutton
Personal details
Born	(1794-07-29)July 29, 1794 Bourbon County, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	December 18, 1865(1865-12-18) (aged 71) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party	Whig (Before 1858) Republican (1858–1865)
Spouse	Sarah Ross
Signature

Thomas Corwin (July 29, 1794 – December 18, 1865), also known as Tom Corwin, The Wagon Boy, and Black Tom was a politician from the state of Ohio. He represented Ohio in both houses of Congress and served as the 15th governor of Ohio and the 20th Secretary of the Treasury. After affiliating with the Whig Party, he joined the Republican Party in the 1850s. Corwin is best known for his sponsorship of the proposed Corwin Amendment, which was presented in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the oncoming American Civil War.

Corwin was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, but he grew up in Lebanon, Ohio. After serving as a wagon boy in the War of 1812, he established a legal practice in Lebanon. He became a prosecuting attorney and won election to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1830 to 1840, resigning from Congress to take office as Ohio's governor. He was defeated for re-election in 1842 but was elected by the state legislature to the United States Senate in 1844. As a Senator, he became a prominent opponent of the Mexican–American War. He resigned from the Senate to become Secretary of the Treasury under President Millard Fillmore.

Corwin returned to the United States House of Representatives in 1859. He led the House of Representatives' effort to end the secessionist crisis that arose following the 1860 elections. Corwin sponsored a constitutional amendment that would have forbidden the federal government from outlawing slavery, even through further constitutional amendments. Though several states ratified the amendment, it did not prevent the outbreak of the civil war. Corwin resigned from Congress in March 1861 to become the United States Ambassador to Mexico. He held that position until 1864 and died the following year.