Thomas Bayard

Thomas Bayard may refer to:

See also

Thomas F. Bayard

Thomas Francis Bayard (October 29, 1828 – September 28, 1898) was an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat from Wilmington, Delaware. A Democrat, he served three terms as United States Senator from Delaware and made three unsuccessful bids for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. In 1885, President Grover Cleveland appointed him Secretary of State. After four years in private life, he returned to the diplomatic arena as Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Born in Delaware to a prominent family, Bayard learned politics from his father, James A. Bayard, Jr., who also served in the Senate. In 1869, the Delaware legislature elected Bayard to the Senate upon his father's retirement. A Peace Democrat during the Civil War, Bayard spent his early years in the Senate in opposition to Republican policies, especially the Reconstruction of the defeated Confederacy. His conservatism extended to financial matters, as he became known as a staunch supporter of the gold standard and an opponent of greenbacks and silver coinage, which he believed would cause inflation. Bayard's conservative politics made him popular in the South and with Eastern financial interests, but never popular enough to obtain the Democratic nomination for President, which he attempted to win in 1876, 1880, and 1884.

Thomas F. Bayard, Jr.

Thomas Francis Bayard, Jr. (June 4, 1868 – July 12, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Delaware in the 1920s.

Early life and family

Bayard was born in Wilmington, Delaware, son of U.S. Senator Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. and grandson of U.S. Senator James A. Bayard, Jr. In 1908, he married Elizabeth Bradford du Pont, and they had five children, Elizabeth, Thomas, Ellen, James, and Alexis. They were members of the Episcopal Church.

Bayard graduated from Yale University in 1890, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, attended Yale Law School and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1893. After living in New York City for four years and working as assistant corporation counsel, he returned to his Delaware law practice in 1901.

He married Elizabeth Bradford du Pont on October 4, 1908.

He served as a chairman of the Delaware Democratic Party's state committee from 1906 to 1916, and as solicitor for the city of Wilmington from 1917 until 1919.