Thomas M. Blackstock
Thomas M. Blackstock (January 12, 1834 – February 27, 1913)[1] was an Irish-American Republican politician and businessman who spent most of his life in Wisconsin.
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Born in County Armagh, in what is now Northern Ireland, Blackstock settled first in Canada and then in 1849 moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. There, he bought a drug store and eventually owned a farm, a bank (the Sheboygan Mutual Loan, Saving, and Building Association), and real estate (via the South Sheboygan Land Company).[2] Blackstock participated in the establishment of the Phoenix Chair Company, serving as Secretary, then as President and General Manager, and ultimately gaining a controlling interest in the company.[2]
In November 1861, Blackstock married Bridget Denn, of Waterford, Ireland.[2] In 1882, the Blackstocks had an Italianate style home built for them on a small hilltop site in the Ellis Addition area of Sheboygan,[3] which is now listed on U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[4] Thomas and Bridget Blackstock were childless, but around 1890 adopted three of Bridget's brother's children, Mary, Nellie, and Annie, after the death of their mother.[3]
In 1868, Blackstock served a term in the Wisconsin State Assembly. In 1883-1885, Blackstock was mayor of Sheboygan and also served on the Sheboygan Common Council.[5]
References
- "Mr. Blackstock Head of Phoenix, Called by Death". Sheboygan Telegram. 28 February 1913. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
- Ziller, Carl (1912). History of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, Past and Present, Volume 2. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 54–58.
- Pape, Alan C. (February 15, 1995). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Blackstock, Thomas M. and Bridget, House". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- Portrait and Biographical Record of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Sheboygan History. 1898. p. 658.