From Confederate Veteran 4(10), 1896, pg.343
Secretary of State
Thomas B. Monroe
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Term of Office
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August 30, 1859 - October 1, 1861
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Party
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Democrat
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Governor during his term of Office
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Gov. Beriah Magoffin
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Education
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University of Louisiana
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Spouse(s)
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Elizabeth C. Grier
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Children
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1 son
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Parents
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Residence
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Kentucky (Lexington, Fayette County)
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Occupation
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Attorney; Newspaper Editor
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Birth Date
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7/3/1833
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Birth Place
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Kentucky (Frankfort, Franklin County)
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Date of Death
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4/6/1862
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Place of Death
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Mississippi (Burnsville, near Shiloh)
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Cause of Death
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Killed at a battle near Burnsville, Mississippi
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Place of Burial
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Kentucky (Frankfort Cemetery); originally interred on the
field of battle by Union soldiers
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City Offices Held
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Elected Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky.
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Military Service
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Civil War (4th Ky. Infantry, CSA)
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Note
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Monroe's father, Judge Thomas Bell Monroe, Sr., served as
Kentucky's Secretary of State from September 1823 to September 1824 during
the administration of Gov. John Adair. Monroe, Jr., was commissioned Major of
the 4th Ky Infantry, CSA, during the Civil War. He died on the battlefield
near Shiloh, Mississippi.
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Historical Firsts
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Appointed Secretary of State in 1859, Monroe (age 26) was
the youngest person to occupy the office since statehood.
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Thomas B. Monroe, Jr., was the fourth son of Judge
Thomas Bell Monroe, Sr. He was born on July 3, 1833, at Frankfort. He was
educated at the University of Louisiana while his father was a professor there.
In 1849, he settled in Lexington and began the practice of law. In 1856, he
became editor of the Democratic newspaper, the "Kentucky Statesman".
In 1859, he was elected mayor of Lexington. In 1860, he endorsed states’ rights
and the presidential candidacy of fellow Kentuckian John C. Breckinridge.
Monroe was appointed Secretary of State in
September 1859 in the administration of Governor Beriah Magoffin, becoming the
youngest person to ever occupy the office. He served as Secretary of State
until October 5, 1861, when he resigned his office to serve as Major of the
Fourth Kentucky Confederate Infantry. He was killed at an engagement at
Burnsville on April 6, 1862, and was buried on the field of battle by Union
soldiers. After the war, he was reinterred in the Frankfort Cemetery next to
his brother Captain Ben Monroe.
Monroe married Elizabeth C. Grier of
Philadelphia on November 15, 1859. She was the daughter of Justice Robert C.
Grier of the United States Supreme Court. The couple had one son.
References:
"Biographical Encyclopedia", (1878),
page 548;
Ed Porter Thompson, "History of the
Orphan Brigade", (1898), pages 458-66.
From KY Secretary of State website: http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=36
Gravesites at Frankfort Cemetery, Frankfort, KY. Photos by Confederate Kentuckian.
