Thomas Hart Ruffin (September 9, 1820 – October 13, 1863) was an American politician, lawyer, and military officer. A Democrat, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina, and later a delegate to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States. He died fighting in the American Civil War.

Early life and education

Ruffin was born on September 9, 1820, in Louisburg, North Carolina,[1] the son of Henry John Gray Ruffin and Mary (née Polly) Tartt Ruffin.[2] He was a distant cousin of judge Thomas Ruffin (The Philadelphia Inquirer erroneously claims Thomas was his father[3]), and was thereby related to politicians Charles R. Thomas and Charles R. Thomas Jr.[4] He was also a second cousin of Edmund Ruffin.[3]

Educated at common schools,[1] Ruffin received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1841; he was awarded a Master of Arts in 1846. He read law under George Edmund Badger then began practicing law in Goldsboro. He never married.[2]

Career

Ruffin later moved to the Ozarks of Missouri.[2] From 1844 to 1848, he was the attorney of Missouri's 7th Circuit Court.[1] During the Mexican–American War, he served as a first lieutenant in a Missouri regiment during the Texan Santa Fe Expedition. He returned to Goldsboro in 1850, and in 1852, inherited a large Johnston County plantation and 51 slaves from his uncle-in-law, Josiah Ogden Watson.[2][5]

Ruffin was a Democrat. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1853, to March 3, 1861, representing North Carolina's 2nd district. He resigned following Southern secession. From June 18 to July 25, 1861, he was a delegate to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States from North Carolina.[2] Politically, he was liberal.[6] He supported secession on the basis of states' rights.[7]

Military service and death

Ruffin graduated from the United States Military Academy.[3] During the American Civil War, he declined the rank of colonel and became a captain of the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment of the Confederate States Army.[1] During the Battle of Savage's Station, he was captured by the Union army in Virginia, being held at Fort Warren until a prisoner exchange on August 5. He was cut in the head by a sabre during the Battle of Gettysburg. He was promoted to major and to lieutenant colonel, on June 29, 1863, and July 23, 1863, respectively.[2]

During the Battle of Bristoe Station, Ruffin fell off his horse and took a Minié ball to the forehead. He died on October 13, 1863, aged 43, in Alexandria, Virginia.[4] His body was held in a burial vault and maintained until a burial could be done.[2][8] He was buried at a private cemetery near Louisburg.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ruffin, Thomas Hart". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Ruffin, Thomas | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. January 2023. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  3. 1 2 3 "Strength of the Rebels". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 20 October 1863. p. 2. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  4. 1 2 "The Political Graveyard: Ruffin-Thomas family of North Carolina". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  5. ↑ "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  6. ↑ "RUFFIN, Thomas (1820-1863)". voteview.com. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
  7. ↑ Ruffin, Thomas (20 February 1861). "State rights and state equality. Speech of Hon. Thomas Ruffin, of North Carolina, delivered in the House of Representatives". The Portal to Texas History. Archived from the original on 2024-12-01.
  8. ↑ "Death of Col. Thomas Ruffin". Wilmington Journal. 5 November 1863. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-05-25.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hart_Ruffin