{{Short description|American politician (1789–1863)}} {{Use American English|date=March 2017}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Thomas Fearn | image = Thomas Fearn, Alabama (cropped).jpg | office = Deputy from [[Alabama]]<br />to the [[Provisional Congress of the Confederate States|Provisional Congress<br />of the Confederate States]] | term_start = February 4, 1861 | term_end = April 29, 1861 | predecessor = ''New constituency'' | successor = [[Henry Cox Jones|H. C. Jones]] | birth_date = {{birth date|1789|11|15}} | birth_place = [[Pittsylvania County, Virginia]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1863|1|16|1789|11|15}} | death_place = [[Huntsville, Alabama]] | resting_place = [[Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)|Maple Hill Cemetery]],<br />Huntsville, Alabama }}
'''Thomas Fearn''' (November 15, 1789 – January 16, 1863) was an American medical doctor, businessman, and politician who played a significant role in the early development of Huntsville, Alabama. He served as a Deputy from [[Alabama]] to the [[Provisional Congress of the Confederate States]] in 1861.
== Biography == Thomas Fearn was born on November 15, 1789, in [[Pittsylvania County, Virginia]], to Thomas Fearn and Mary Burton Fearn. He had several siblings and half-siblings from his father's previous marriage. He graduated from Washington Academy (now [[Washington and Lee University]]) in 1806 and pursued a medical degree at the Old Medical College in [[Philadelphia]], graduating in 1810.<ref name="EncyAlabama">{{cite web |title=Thomas Fearn |url=https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/thomas-fearn/ |publisher=Encyclopedia of Alabama |access-date=November 18, 2024}}</ref>
=== Early Career and Medical Practice === After completing his education, Fearn moved to Twickenham (now [[Huntsville, Alabama]]) in the [[Mississippi Territory]]. He partnered with Dr. John McGhee to establish a successful medical practice that catered to the prominent residents of the area. During the [[War of 1812]] and the Creek War (1813-1814), Fearn served as a military surgeon. He was appointed chief surgeon by General [[Andrew Jackson]] and briefly managed the military hospital in Huntsville.<ref name="EncyAlabama" /><ref name="LoC">{{cite book |editor-last=Root |editor-first=Elihu |editor-link=Elihu Root |date=1904 |title=Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865 |url=https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwcc.html |volume=I |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office|Government Printing Office]] |page=159 |lccn=05012700}}</ref>
Fearn is credited with discovering the medicinal properties of quinine for treating [[malaria]], which became a significant advancement in the prevention and treatment of the disease. His article on the use of quinine gained widespread recognition.<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
=== Public Works and Business Ventures === Fearn was a major developer in Huntsville along with his brothers George and Robert. He was involved in constructing the Indian Creek Canal, later known as "Fearn’s Canal," which connected Huntsville’s Big Spring to the [[Tennessee River]] to facilitate cotton transportation. The canal was completed in 1831 but was eventually replaced by railroads.<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
In 1836, the Fearn brothers revitalized the Huntsville Water Works, installing modern cast-iron pipes and pumps. Fearn later sold the system to the city in 1858 but retained free water rights for his residence on Franklin Street.<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
=== Real Estate and Slaveholding === Fearn acquired extensive real estate and became a wealthy plantation owner, ultimately possessing 790 acres. By 1860, he was one of the largest slaveholders in Madison County, owning 82 enslaved people, whom he used for both agricultural labor and public works projects.<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
=== Political career === Fearn served multiple terms in the Alabama state legislature and was involved with the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. In 1861, he was elected as a delegate to the [[Provisional Congress of the Confederate States|Confederate Constitutional Convention]] and served briefly as a Deputy in the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States before resigning due to the inconvenience of travel.<ref name="LoC" /><ref name="EncyAlabama" />
=== Civil War and Later Life === Despite his initial opposition to secession, Fearn supported Alabama during the [[American Civil War]]. In 1862, he was arrested by federal forces for refusing to swear allegiance to the United States but was later released due to his failing health.<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
Fearn died at his home on Franklin Street in Huntsville on January 16, 1863, from pneumonia. He was buried in [[Maple Hill Cemetery (Huntsville, Alabama)|Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville]].<ref name="LoC" /><ref name="EncyAlabama" />
== Legacy == Fearn is remembered as an influential figure in the development of Huntsville and as a pioneer in medical practices related to malaria treatment. His former residence is part of the historic [[Twickenham Historic District]].<ref name="EncyAlabama" />
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box |title=Deputy from [[Alabama]] to the<br />[[Provisional Congress of the Confederate States]] |years=1861 |before=New constituency |after=[[Henry Cox Jones|H. C. Jones]]}} {{s-end}} {{Navboxes |title=Articles related to Thomas Fearn |list1= {{CSProvisionalConstitutionSig}} {{Confederate States Constitution signatories}} }} {{Portal bar|United States|American Civil War|Biography|Politics}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearn, Thomas}} [[Category:1789 births]] [[Category:1863 deaths]] [[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Alabama]] [[Category:Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States]] [[Category:People from Huntsville, Alabama]] [[Category:People from Pittsylvania County, Virginia]] [[Category:Medical doctors from Alabama]] [[Category:Signatories of the Constitution of the Confederate States]] [[Category:Signatories of the Provisional Constitution of the Confederate States]] [[Category:Slave owners from Virginia]]