Thomas Burnside

Thomas Burnside (July 28, 1782 – March 25, 1851) was an American politician and judge who served as a Democratic-Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district from 1815 to 1816 and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1845 until his death in 1851.

Thomas Burnside
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 9th district
In office October 10, 1815 – April 1816
Preceded by	David Bard
Succeeded by	William Plunkett Maclay
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 13th district
In office 1811-1812 1823-1826
Personal details
Born	(1782-07-28)July 28, 1782 Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, Kingdom of Ireland
Died	March 13, 1851(1851-03-13) (aged 68) Germantown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican

Early life and education

Thomas Burnside was born near Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, in the Kingdom of Ireland. He emigrated to the United States with his father’s family, who settled in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1793. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1804 and commenced practice in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.

Career

He was appointed deputy attorney general on January 12, 1809, and served in the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 13th district from 1811 to 1814 and again from 1823 to 1826 when he also served as Speaker of the Senate.^[1]

Burnside was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fourteenth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of David Bard and served until his resignation in April 1816. He was appointed president judge of the Luzerne district courts in 1815, and resigned in 1819. He was again a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate and its presiding officer in 1823. He was president judge of the fourth judicial district from 1826 to 1841 and later presided in the same capacity over the seventh judicial district. He was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1845, which office he held until his death in Germantown, Pennsylvania.