Thomas Reynolds (D)

Overview

At a Glance

• Successfully promoted legislation abolishing imprisonment for debtors (1843)
• Issued a proclamation setting aside the fourth Thursday in November as a day of prayer and Thanksgiving

Personal History

Thomas Reynolds’ early life remains largely undocumented, but he was born in Bracken County, Kentucky, to Nathaniel and Catherine Vernon Reynolds. Reynolds gained admission to the Illinois Bar in 1817. On September 22, 1823, he married Eliza Ann Young in Fayette County, Kentucky, and the couple subsequently relocated to Springfield, Illinois, where they raised their only son.

Reynolds established himself in the burgeoning frontier community of Springfield, Illinois, where he practiced law and began to develop a political career. In 1829, he moved to Fayette in Howard County, Missouri, continuing his legal practice and political involvement in his new home.

Upon settling in Fayette, Reynolds opened a law practice and became active in local politics, even editing the Boonslick Democrat. A devoted Democrat, he emerged as a prominent figure in the “Central Clique”, an influential group of central Missouri politicians predominantly composed of landowners and slaveholders with Southern roots. This Clique staunchly supported Andrew Jackson and revered U.S. Senator Thomas Hart Benton, advocating for Benton’s hard-money doctrine and opposing corporations and paper-issuing banks.

Governor Reynolds fell into a deep depression during his term in office, culminating in a tragic event on February 9, 1844, when he took his own life in his office at the executive mansion. In his farewell note, he expressed that the “slanders and abuse” from his political adversaries had made his life unbearable, revealing the profound toll that political conflicts can take on individuals.

Over his career, Reynolds earned recognition as an exceptional jurist with a solid grasp of the law. Despite facing significant hostility during his governorship, friends noted his amiable nature, pleasant demeanor, integrity, and honest intentions. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Political History

Reynolds had a notable legal and political career in Illinois, serving in various roles including as a lawyer, a member of the Illinois General Assembly where he was Speaker of the House, state attorney general, circuit court judge, and ultimately chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. His tenure in these positions underscored his legal expertise and contributed to his influence in state politics.

In his inaugural address, Governor Reynolds articulated the principles of agrarianism, states’ rights, and limited government characteristic of the old-line Democrats, taking a firm stance against the rising Whig party. He opposed their platform, which advocated for a national bank, paper currency, and internal improvements, elements that resonated with the expanding commercial and mercantile interests both in Missouri and across the nation.

After relocating to Fayette, Missouri, Reynolds was elected as the representative from Howard County to the state legislature in 1832 and was chosen as Speaker of the House. Following his term, he was appointed as a judge of the second judicial circuit. In 1840, with the Central Clique influential in the Democratic Party’s state convention, Reynolds was nominated almost unanimously as the party’s candidate for governor, a position he ultimately secured by winning the election with a significant margin.

Throughout the early 1840s, Missouri experienced intensifying political controversy marked by bitterness and personal attacks. As governor, Reynolds largely adhered to the hard-money principles championed by Senator Thomas Hart Benton, which drew sharp criticism from opponents who fiercely and vindictively opposed his views, escalating the already charged political atmosphere in the state.

Historical Significance

Governor Reynolds strongly opposed the traditional practice of imprisoning debtors, and his activism significantly contributed to the General Assembly’s passage of a law abolishing such imprisonment in January 1843. This progressive measure has been upheld in every subsequent state constitution.

Reynolds’ legacy includes increased public attention to the issue of mental illness following his death. His successor, Gov. Meredith Marmaduke, advocated for the establishment of a system and facilities for the care of the mentally ill in his 1844 message to the legislature, which contributed to the development of Fulton State Hospital, opened in 1851.

Reynolds County in southeast Missouri was named after Gov. Reynolds in 1845.