Thomas was born and educated in
Pelham, Massachusetts and was a veteran of the
American Revolution. In 1777 he joined a militia unit which traveled from Massachusetts to defend
Rhode Island from the
British Army. In 1781 he joined the Fifth Massachusetts Regiment as a
corporal, and later became a
sergeant in the Third Massachusetts Regiment. He moved to
Salem, New York in 1784, where he owned and operated a
tavern for several years. He was commissioned a
captain in the
New York State Militia in 1786 and rose to the rank of
major general of the northern division of the militia in 1805. He was a member of the
New York State Assembly from
Washington and
Clinton Counties in 1794, and from Washington County from 1798 to 1800. He was
town supervisor of Salem from 1797 to 1800, and a
justice of the peace from 1798 to 1801, in 1804 and 1811. Thomas was elected as a
Democratic-Republican to the
7th,
8th,
9th and
10th Congresses, and served from March 4, 1801 to May 1, 1808, when he resigned. He was
New York State Treasurer from February 5, 1808 to February 8, 1810, and again from February 18, 1812 to February 10, 1813. Thomas later moved to
Providence, Rhode island, where he died on November 27, 1831. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Salem, New York. ==Sources==