Biography
Thomas Francis Bayard was born 29 October 1828 in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States to James Asheton Bayard (1799-1880) and Anne Francis (1802-1864) and died 28 September 1898 Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States of unspecified causes. He married Louisa Sewell Lee (1834-1886) 28 March 1856 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. He married Mary Willing Clymer (1848-1933) 7 November 1886 in Washington, D.C., United States.
Thomas Francis Bayard was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat from Wilmington, Delaware. A Democrat, he served three terms as the 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 Great Britain.
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 Confederate states. 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 Southern United States and with financial interests in the Eastern United States, but never popular enough to obtain the Democratic nomination for president which he attempted to win in 1876, 1880 and 1884.
In 1885, President Cleveland appointed Bayard Secretary of State. Bayard worked with Cleveland to promote American trade in the Pacific while avoiding the acquisition of colonies at a time when many Americans clamored for them. He sought increased cooperation with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, working to resolve disputes over fishing and seal-hunting rights in the waters around the Canada–United States border. As ambassador, Bayard continued to strive for Anglo-American friendship. This brought him into conflict with his successor at the State Department Richard Olney, when Olney and Cleveland demanded more aggressive diplomatic overtures than Bayard wished in the Venezuelan crisis of 1895. His term at the American embassy ended in 1897 and he died the following year.
Early life
Coat of Arms of Thomas F. Bayard
Bayard's father, James A. Bayard Jr., who served as a United States Senator from Delaware in the 1850's and 1860's
Bayard was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1828, the second son of James A. Bayard Jr. and Anne née Francis.[1] The Bayard family was prominent in Delaware as Bayard's father would be elected to the United States Senate in 1851. Among Bayard's ancestors were his grandfather James A. Bayard, also a Senator; and great-grandfather Richard Bassett, who served as Senator from and Governor of Delaware.[2] Several other relatives served in high office, including Bayard's uncle Richard H. Bayard, another Delaware Senator; and his great-great-uncle Nicholas Bayard, who was Mayor of New York City.[2] On his mother's side, Bayard descended from Philadelphia lawyer and financier Tench Francis Jr.[3] Bayard was educated in private academies in Wilmington and then in Flushing, New York, when his father moved to New York City for business reasons.[3] Bayard's father returned to Delaware in 1843, but he remained in New York, working as a clerk in the mercantile firm of his brother-in-law August Schermerhorn.[3]
In 1846, his father secured him a job in a banking firm in Philadelphia and he worked there for the next two years.[4] Bayard was unsatisfied with his progress at the firm and returned to Wilmington to read law at his father's office.[4] Bayard was admitted to the bar in 1851,[5] the year his father was elected to the United States Senate.[lower-alpha 1] Thomas took on greater responsibilities in the family law office and rose quickly in the legal profession.[6] In 1853, after the election of Democratic President Franklin Pierce, Bayard was appointed United States Attorney for Delaware.[7] He spent only a year in the position before moving to Philadelphia to open a practice with his friend William Shippen, a partnership that lasted until Shippen's death in 1858.[7]
Family Life
While in Philadelphia, Bayard met Louise Lee, whom he married in October 1856. The marriage produced twelve children.[8]
- Katherine Lee Bayard (1857-1886)
- James Ashton Bayard (1859-1919)
- Mabel Ashton Bayard (1861-1924)
- Mary Lee Bayard (1862-1863)
- Ann Francis Bayard (1864-1898)
- Florence Bayard (1865-1954)
- Thomas Francis Bayard (1868-1942)
- Louisa Lee Bayard (1870-1944) = married noted psychologist and Stanford University athletic director, Frank Angell (1858-1939),
- Ellen Bayard (1869-1932)
- William Shippen Bayard (1870-1870)
- Willing Francis Bayard (1871-1871)
- Philip Francis Bayard (1872-1911)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Katherine Lee Bayard (1857-1886) | |||
| James Ashton Bayard (1859-1919) | |||
| Mabel Ashton Bayard (1861-1924) | |||
| Mary Lee Bayard (1862-1863) | |||
| Ann Francis Bayard (1864-1898) | |||
| Florence Bayard (1865-1954) | |||
| Thomas Francis Bayard (1868-1942) | 4 June 1868 Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States | 12 July 1942 Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States | Elizabeth Bradford du Pont (1880-1975) |
| Louisa Lee Bayard (1870-1944) | 25 February 1870 Delaware, United States | 1 October 1944 Santa Clara County, California, United States | Frank Angell (1858-1939) |
| Ellen Bayard (1869-1932) | |||
| William Shippen Bayard (1870-1870) | |||
| Willing Francis Bayard (1871-1871) | |||
| Philip Francis Bayard (1872-1911) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| James Asheton Bayard (1825-1848) | |||
| Mary Ellen Bayard (1827-1845) | |||
| Thomas Francis Bayard (1828-1898) | 29 October 1828 Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, United States | 28 September 1898 Dedham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States | Louisa Sewell Lee (1834-1886) Mary Willing Clymer (1848-1933) |
| Charles Carroll Bayard (1829-1850) | |||
| Sophia Harrison Bayard (1830-1832) | |||
| George Harrison Bayard (1832-1836) | |||
| Mabel Bayard (1838-1897) | |||
| Florence Bayard (1842-1898) | |||
See Also
- Thomas Bayard
- Bayard Family
- Bayard in New Castle County, Delaware
External Links
- wikipedia:en:Thomas F. Bayard
- Senator Thomas F. Bayard at Genealogics
- WorldConnect: db: buchroeder, id: I529154426
- WorldConnect: db: dowfam3, id: I597694
- WorldConnect: db: brucen, id: I26205
- Thomas Francis Bayard, Sr at Find A Grave
References
- ^ Spencer 1880, p. 13.
- ^ a b Spencer 1880, pp. 1–9.
- ^ a b c Tansill 1946, p. 4.
- ^ a b Tansill 1946, p. 5.
- ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 554.
- ^ Tansill 1946, p. 6.
- ^ a b Spencer 1880, p. 15.
- ^ Tansill 1946, p. 7.
Footnotes (including sources)
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