# Thomas H. Nelson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_H._Nelson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Thomas_H._Nelson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Nelson > Source revision: 1333585666 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American lawyer and diplomat (1821–1896) Hon. Thomas H. Nelson, circa 1894. **Thomas Henry Nelson** (October 24, 1821 – March 14, 1896) was a [U.S.](/source/United_States) diplomat and politician from [Indiana](/source/Indiana).[1][2] ## Early life Nelson was born on October 24, 1821, in [Mason County, Kentucky](/source/Mason_County%2C_Kentucky), to Dr. Thomas W. Nelson and Frances Doniphan Nelson.[2] On Dec 11, 1843, in [Aberdeen, Ohio](/source/Aberdeen%2C_Ohio), Nelson married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Key, the daughter of Marshall Key and Harriet Sellman Key. She was a student of [Harriet Beecher Stowe](/source/Harriet_Beecher_Stowe).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The Nelsons moved to [Rockville, Indiana](/source/Rockville%2C_Indiana), where he set up a law practice. A few years later, the couple moved to [Terre Haute, Indiana](/source/Terre_Haute%2C_Indiana). In 1852 he was on the Board of Commissioners for the construction of the [Springfield and Terre Haute Railroad](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Springfield_and_Terre_Haute_Railroad&action=edit&redlink=1). ## Career During the late 1850s, he was a leader of the [Whig Party](/source/Whig_Party_(United_States)) and he was tasked with organizing the [Republican Party](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) in Indiana.[2] In 1860, he unsuccessfully ran for the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress). He was appointed [envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Chile) to [Chile](/source/Chile) in 1861 to 1866 by U.S. president [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln).[2] On December 8, 1863, he organized rescue operations during the catastrophic [Church of the Company Fire](/source/Church_of_the_Company_Fire) in [Santiago](/source/Santiago) and was commended for his act of bravery.[2] He was appointed [minister](/source/List_of_ambassadors_of_the_United_States_to_Mexico) to [Mexico](/source/Mexico) from 1869 by [Ulysses S. Grant](/source/Ulysses_S._Grant), but resigned in 1873.[2] Nelson died in Terre Haute, on March 14, 1896, and is buried at its Woodlawn Cemetery.[3] ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Thomas H. Nelson](http://www.picturehistory.com/product/id/6075) 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_2-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-:0_2-5) [Directory of Members, Catalogue - the International Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta](https://books.google.com/books?id=7SU7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA413) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Database-Thomas H. Nelson](http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/IN/VI-buried.html) ## External links - Media related to [Thomas H. Nelson](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Thomas_H._Nelson) at Wikimedia Commons Diplomatic posts Preceded by John Bigler United States Envoy to Chile 4 October 1861 – 12 March 1866 Succeeded by Hugh Judson Kilpatrick Preceded by William S. Rosecrans United States Envoy to Mexico June 26, 1869 – June 16, 1873 Succeeded by John W. Foster v t e United States ambassadors to Mexico Minister Shaler Robinson Wilkinson Poinsett Butler Slacum Ellis Greenhow Ellis Lawrence W. Thompson Beach G. Thompson Shannon Slidell Conner Clifford Letcher Greenhow Goss Slacum Smith Conkling Cooper Ward Gadsden Spofford Forsyth Churchwell Mordecai Green Porter McLane De la Reintrie Weller Corwin Shufelt Campbell Otterbourg Rosecrans Nelson Foster Morgan Jackson Manning Bragg Ryan Gray Ransom Clayton Ambassador Clayton Conger Thompson Wilson Fletcher Warren Sheffield Morrow Clark Daniels Messersmith Thurston O'Dwyer White Hill Mann Freeman McBride Jova Lucey Nava Gavin Pilliod Negroponte Jones Davidow Garza Pascual Wayne Jacobson Landau Salazar Johnson v t e United States ambassadors to Chile Minister Plenipotentiary Allen Chargé d'Affaires Larned Hamm Pollard Pendleton Crump Barton Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary Peyton Starkweather Bigler Nelson Kilpatrick Root Logan Osborn Kilpatrick Logan Roberts Egan Porter Strobel Wilson Hicks Dawson Fletcher Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Fletcher Shea Collier Culbertson Sevier Philip Armour Bowers Beaulac Lyon Howe Woodward Cole Dungan Korry Davis Popper Landau Theberge Barnes Gillespie Kamman Guerra-Mondragón O'Leary Brownfield Kelly Simons Wolff Hammer Perez Meehan Judd Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Other NARA SNAC This article about an Indiana politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Indiana-politician-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3AIndiana-politician-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Indiana-politician-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Thomas H. Nelson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Nelson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_H._Nelson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.