Hamer, Thomas Lyon, 1800-1846

Hamer secured U.S. Grant's admission to West Point.

Thomas Lyon Hamer, Ohio lawyer and congressman. In 1821, he was admitted to the bar, and started practice in Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio. In 1825, 1828, and 1829, he was a member of the state legislature, serving as speaker in 1829. In 1832, Hamer successfully ran for a seat in the House of Representatives in the 23rd Congress an independent Jacksonian, and later was re-elected to the 24th and 25th Congresses as a Democrat. In 1836, he stumped for Van Buren. In 1839, having declined re-election, Hamer retired from Congress, and concentrated on maintaining his professional reputation and building up his legal practice. He continued to play an important role in state and national politics, and in 1844 campaigned for Polk. In 1846, Hamer, a staunch supporter of the Mexican War, volunteered as a private, and the next day was promoted to brigadier general in the army. He died of a fever outside Monterrey on December 2, 1846. In March 1847, Congress passed a resolution of sorrow and presented his family with a sword.