Thomas Henry Bayly

Democrat Representative of Virginia's 1st district

Congresses Served

House Terms

December 11, 1810 (45 years old)

Birthday

June 23, 1856

Death

Nineteenth-century politician, lawyer, and judge
Son of Congressman Thomas M. Bayly
Born into a family that owned a plantation and used enslaved labor
Received a private education and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1829
Married Evelyn Harrison May and had two daughters
Practiced law in Accomac County, Virginia, and operated the family plantation
Served as a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1836 to 1842
Appointed as brigadier general of the 21st Brigade in the Virginia Militia from 1837 to 1846
Became a judge of the Circuit Court of Law and Chancery for Accomack County in 1842 but resigned upon election to Congress
Elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1844, serving until his death in 1856
Served as chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means from 1849 to 1851 and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1851 to 1855
Died at his estate, Mount Custis, and was interred in the family cemetery there
Has a cenotaph at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
The University of Virginia Art Museum is housed in the Thomas H. Bayly Building