Thomas Francis Bayard Sr. (1828-1898)

US Senator, Presidential Cabinet Secretary, and Diplomat. A member of the Democratic Party, he served for three consecutive terms as a Delaware US Senator from March 1869 until March 1885 and as Secretary of State from March 1885 until March 1889. Born into a prominent Delaware political family, his father, James A. Bayard, Jr., served in the US Senate from March 1851 until January 1864 and from April 1867 until March 1869. He received a private education and went on to study law at his father law office in Wilmington, Delaware and was admitted to the bar in 1851, after which he settled in his family's law practice. In 1869 his father retired from the US Senate and the Delaware legislature elected him to take his father's Senatorial seat. During his time in the US Senate, he was a staunch supporter of the gold standard and opposed the Republican Party's Reconstruction policy for the Southern States. He contended for the Democratic nomination for US President in 1876, 1880, and 1884 but lacked the popularity to become a successful nominee. In March 1885 President Grover Cleveland appointed him as Secretary of State and worked with England regarding disputes over fishing and seal-hunting rights in coastal waters. In 1893 President Cleveland appointed him as US Ambassador to England, serving in that position until April 1897. In declining health, he returned to the US and died the following year at the age of 69. His son, Thomas Francis Bayard, Jr., would also serve as a Delaware US Senator from November 1922 until March 1929.

Bio by: William Bjornstad