Thomas Spalding

Thomas Spalding (March 25, 1774 – January 4, 1851) was a United States representative from Georgia. He was born in Frederica, Georgia, St. Simons Island, Glynn County, Georgia. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1795, but did not practice. He engaged extensively in agricultural pursuits. Early life Thomas Spalding was born March 25, 1774, at Frederica on St. Simons Island to James Spalding and Margery McIntosh. His father was one of the earliest planters to experiment with growing Sea Island Cotton. His father was part of Clan Spalding and traced his ancestry back to the lairds of Ashintully Castle. Thomas Spalding would later in life name his Darien, Georgia mansion after his ancestral Scottish home. Spalding's father was an Indian trader, planter, and held a number of political posts prior to the American Revolution. His mother was part of the McIntosh family who helped establish Darien, Georgia. He was their only child. Spalding's father was a Loyalist during the American Revolution and moved the family to East Florida when the war broke out. Thomas Spalding attended the common schools of Georgia and Florida and later a private school in Massachusetts. James Spalding's property was temporarily confiscated during the war, but was returned to him after he petitioned the legislature. By the 1790s, James Spalding became the richest man in Glynn County, Georgia. James Spalding died in 1794, and Thomas Spalding inherited the entirety of his father's estate. On November 5, 1795, he married Sarah Leake. She was the only daughter of Richard Leak, a wealthy planter who owned neighboring Jekyll Island. Political career Spalding's political career began when he served as a member of Georgia House of Representatives from 1794 to 1795. In 1795, he was admitted to the bar after studying law; however, he never practiced professionally. He then served as a member of the state constitutional convention in 1798. He was a member of the Georgia State Senate in 1799. Shortly after his term ended, Spalding, his wife, his mother, and his friend Joseph Bryan traveled for 18 months in England, Scotland, and France. He served another term in the Georgia State Senate from 1803 to 1804. In 1804, Spalding ran for one of Georgia's four at-large seats for the 9th United States Congress as a Democratic-Republican candidate alongside his friend Joseph Bryan. In early September 1804 a hurricane devastated the coast of Georgia.