Thomas A. Cage (c. 1845 – December 10, 1896) was a state legislator who served in the Louisiana State Senate during the Reconstruction era and the Louisiana House of Representatives and again the Louisiana State Senate post reconstruction.[1]
Thomas Cage | |
|---|---|
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| Louisiana State Senate | |
| In office 1872–1880 | |
| Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1884–1888 | |
| Louisiana State Senate | |
| In office 1888–1892 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1845 Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana |
| Died | December 10, 1896 (aged 50–51) |
| Political party | Republican |
Biography
editCage was born as a slave in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana in 1845 and was freed during the American Civil War by the Union Army.[2] His father was Euro-American and his mother was a plantation slave of African descent. He took the name Cage from the sugar plantation's owner Jim Cage.[3]
After the war he moved north from Louisiana and gained an education before returning to Louisiana in 1869.[1] During the reconstruction era he was the editor of the Terrebonne Republican and had acquired a plantation,[1] which he was still successfully running in 1883.[4]
Cage was also a member of the board of trustees of the Southern University at New Orleans appointed in February 1883.[5]
Political career
editIn 1870 he was elected as a justice of the peace for Houma, Louisiana[1] and in 1871 he was appointed to the position of parish assessor and tax collector by governor Henry C. Warmoth.[6]
He represented Terrebonne as a delegate at the Republican State Convention held in New Orleans in August 1871[7] where he served on the Committee on Address whose job was to "draft resolutions and an address to the people of Louisiana".[8]
Cage was first elected to the legislature in 1872 to serve in the Louisiana State Senate for the 8th district.[9] He was re-elected in 1876,[10] but Isaiah D. Moore later challenged the result but lost the challenge in a ruling in March 1878.[11] He served from 1872 until 1880 when he was ousted due to the constitution reform of 1879.[3]
He then ran for sheriff for Terrebonne Parish in 1880 and won the position with over 60% of the votes[12] and served four years in the role.[3]
Next Cage was elected to serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing Terrebonne along with G. W. Lyons,[13] and served from 1884 until 1888.
In 1888 Cage again ran for the senate now after the new constitution for a seat serving three parishes, he was duly elected and served one term from 1888 until 1892.[3] During this term he relocated to New Orleans after labor issues caused troubles in Terrebonne Parish.[3]
Cage served as the Republican state central committee chairman during the 1880s and 1890s and remained active in politics until his death at the end of the nineteenth century.[1]
Death
editHe died at his home on Cypress Street in New Orleans December 10, 1896 after suffering an illness that his doctors gave up on and his death was not unexpected.[3] Although he handled much money during his career he died a relatively poor man, but he did own a store on the corner of Cypress and Derbingy streets where he lived with his family.[3] He was not a religious man with a negative view of many preachers and he was buried in Girod cemetery.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Foner, Eric (1 August 1996). Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction. LSU Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-8071-2082-8. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
- ^ Vincent, Charles (28 January 2011). "Black Legislators in Louisiana during Reconstruction". SIU Press. p. 149. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Thomas A. Cage - The Remarkable Negro Leader Passes Away Yesterday". The Times-Picayune. 11 December 1896. p. 12. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Ashland Plantation - Thomas A. Cage - 1883". The Times-Picayune. 10 January 1883. p. 6. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Appointments by the Governor - The Red Cross - Celebration of the Firemen". The Times-Picayune. 23 February 1883. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Governor Warmoth appointments". New Orleans Republican. 12 February 1871. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Republican State Convention". New Orleans Republican. 9 August 1871. p. 5. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Republican State Convention: Report on the Committee on Address". New Orleans Republican. 13 August 1871. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Notices - Elected Senators". New Orleans Republican. 9 December 1872. p. 5. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Notices - State Senators". New Orleans Republican. 7 December 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Among the Law-Makers: Isaiah D. Moore fails in his senatorial contest". The Times-Picayune. 4 March 1878. p. 1. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Terrebonne - Elections". The Times-Picayune. 4 January 1880. p. 12. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "The Next Legislature". The Lake Charles Echo. 3 May 1884. p. 2. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
