Thomas H. Nelson

[[File:Thomas H Nelson.jpg|right|thumb|alt=Thomas H. Nelson|Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, circa 1894.]] '''Thomas Henry Nelson''' (October 24, 1821 – March 14, 1896) was a [[United States|U.S.]] diplomat and politician from [[Indiana]].<ref>[http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/6075 Thomas H. Nelson]</ref><ref name=":0">[https://books.google.com/books?id=7SU7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA413 Directory of Members, Catalogue - the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta]</ref>

== Early life == Nelson was born on October 24, 1821, in [[Mason County, Kentucky]], to Dr. Thomas W. Nelson and Frances Doniphan Nelson.<ref name=":0" />

On Dec 11, 1843, in [[Aberdeen, Ohio]], Nelson married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Key, the daughter of Marshall Key and Harriet Sellman Key. She was a student of [[Harriet Beecher Stowe]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

The Nelsons moved to [[Rockville, Indiana]], where he set up a law practice. A few years later, the couple moved to [[Terre Haute, Indiana]]. In 1852 he was on the Board of Commissioners for the construction of the [[Springfield and Terre Haute Railroad]].

== Career == During the late 1850s, he was a leader of the [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig Party]] and he was tasked with organizing the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in Indiana.<ref name=":0" />

In 1860, he unsuccessfully ran for the [[United States Congress]].

He was appointed [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Chile|envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary]] to [[Chile]] in 1861 to 1866 by U.S. president [[Abraham Lincoln]].<ref name=":0" /> On December 8, 1863, he organized rescue operations during the catastrophic [[Church of the Company Fire]] in [[Santiago]] and was commended for his act of bravery.<ref name=":0" />

He was appointed [[List of ambassadors of the United States to Mexico|minister]] to [[Mexico]] from 1869 by [[Ulysses S. Grant]], but resigned in 1873.<ref name=":0" />

Nelson died in Terre Haute, on March 14, 1896, and is buried at its Woodlawn Cemetery.<ref>[http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/IN/VI-buried.html Database-Thomas H. Nelson]</ref>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline}}

{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{succession box | title = [[United States Ambassador to Chile|United States Envoy to Chile]] | before = [[John Bigler]] | after = [[Hugh Judson Kilpatrick]] | years = 4 October 1861 – 12 March 1866 }} {{succession box | title = [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|United States Envoy to Mexico]] | before = [[William Rosecrans|William S. Rosecrans]] | after = [[John W. Foster]] | years = June 26, 1869 – June 16, 1873 }} {{end}} {{US Ambassadors to Mexico}} {{Ambassadors of the United States to Chile}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Thomas Henry}} [[Category:1824 births]] [[Category:1896 deaths]] [[Category:Politicians from Terre Haute, Indiana]] [[Category:People from Mason County, Kentucky]] [[Category:Indiana lawyers]] [[Category:19th-century American diplomats]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Chile]] [[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Mexico]] [[Category:19th-century American lawyers]]