Carter, Thomas Henry, 1854-1911

Thomas Henry Carter was born in Ohio in 1854, the son of Edward C. and Margaret Carter. After his admission to the bar, Carter established a practice in Burlington, Iowa. In 1882, he moved to Helena, Montana Territory, and after a brief private practice, he associated with John B. Clayberg in the firm of Carter and Clayberg. In November 1889, he was the territorial delegate for the state when Montana gained statehood. After the admission of Montana as a state, he was elected its first representative in Congress in December 1889. He then served in the U.S. Senate from 1895 to 1901, and again from 1905 to 1911. In addition, Carter was the commissioner of the U.S. General Land Office (1891-1892), chairman of the Republican National Committee (1892-1896), and U.S. commissioner to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Mo. (1904). Carter died on September 17, 1911 at his Washington, D.C. home. Julia Ann Carter Lang was Thomas's sister and wrote an unpublished family biography.

From the guide to the Thomas Carter Correspondence Selections and Related Material, 1901-1971, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

Lawyer and U.S. representative and senator from Montana.

From the description of Papers of Thomas Henry Carter, 1883-1917. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 79604910

Biographical Note

• 1854, Oct. 30: Born, Scioto County, Ohio
• 1878: Began study of law, Burlington, Iowa
• 1882: Moved to Helena, Mont., and practiced law
• 1886: Married Ellen L. Galen
• 1889 - 1891 : Delegate, subsequently representative, from Montana to fifty-first U.S. Congress
• 1891 - 1892 : Commissioner, General Land Office
• 1892 - 1896 : Chairman, Republican National Committee
• 1895 - 1901 : United States senator from Montana
• 1901 - 1904 : President, Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission
• 1895 - 1901 : United States senator from Montana
• 1911: Chairman, U.S. section of the International Joint Commission created to prevent disputes regarding use of boundary waters between the U.S. and Canada
• 1911, Sept. 17: Died, Washington, D.C.

From the guide to the Thomas Henry Carter Papers, 1833-1917, (bulk 1888-1917), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)