{{Short description|American judge}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Thomas Howard DuVal | honorific_suffix = | image = | alt = | caption = | office = Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas | term_start = March 3, 1857 | term_end = October 10, 1880 | nominator = | appointer = Franklin Pierce | predecessor = ''Seat established by 11 Stat. 164'' | successor = Ezekiel B. Turner | pronunciation = | birth_name = Thomas Howard DuVal | birth_date = {{Birth date|1813|11|04}} | birth_place = Buckingham County, Virginia | death_date = {{Death date and age|1880|10|10|1813|11|04}} | death_place = Fort Omaha, Nebraska | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | citizenship = | party = | other_party = | height = | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = Florence Duval West | parents = | mother = | father = William Pope Duval | relatives = Burr H. Duval<br>John Crittenden Duval | education = St. Joseph's College<br>read law | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | known_for = | salary = | net_worth = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = <!--Embedded templates / Footnotes--> | footnotes = }}

'''Thomas Howard DuVal''' (November 4, 1813 – October 10, 1880) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

==Education and career==

Born November 4, 1813, in Buckingham County, Virginia, DuVal graduated from St. Joseph's College in Bardstown, Kentucky in 1833, and read law in 1837. He entered private practice in Tallahassee, Florida from 1837 to 1841. He was clerk of the Court of Appeals for the Florida Territory from 1841 to 1843. He was Secretary for the Florida Territory (State of Florida from March 3, 1845) from 1843 to 1846. He was Reporter for the Supreme Court of Texas in 1846. He resumed private practice in Austin, Texas from 1846 to 1855. He was Secretary of State of Texas starting in 1851. He was a Judge of the Texas District Court for the Second Judicial District from 1855 to 1856.<ref name="auto">{{FJC Bio|670|nid=1380301|name=Thomas Howard DuVal<!--(1813–1880)-->}}</ref>

==Federal judicial service==

DuVal was nominated by President Franklin Pierce on February 26, 1857, to the United States District Court for the District of Texas, to a new seat authorized by 11 Stat. 164. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 3, 1857, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on October 10, 1880, due to his death in Fort Omaha, Nebraska.<ref name="auto"/>

===Civil War===

Due to the American Civil War and Texas's secession from the Union, DuVal was unable to hold court from 1861 to 1865.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fdu34|title=DUVAL, THOMAS HOWARD|first=ROY L.|last=SWIFT|date=12 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org}}</ref> However, he remained at his station in Austin, taking a job with the General Land Office to sustain himself, due to the fact that his judicial salary was unavailable due to the war and another unpaid position as a deputy county surveyor, which permitted him to avoid conscription into the Confederate States Army.<ref name="auto1"/> He was sufficiently respected by the local community that he did not suffer indignities under the Confederate government.<ref name="auto1"/> DuVal ultimately was able to resume holding court at the end of the war and was paid his full back pay due him during the war years.<ref name="auto1"/>

==See also== * William Pope Duval, his father * Burr H. Duval, his eldest brother, who perished in the Goliad massacre * John Crittenden Duval, another brother * Florence Duval West, his daughter

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Sources== * {{FJC Bio|670|nid=1380301|name=Thomas Howard DuVal<!--(1813–1880)-->}}

==External links== * [https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fdu34 Thomas Howard DuVal] in the ''Handbook of Texas Online'' * {{Find a Grave|172072783}}

{{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=Seat established by 11 Stat. 164}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas}}|years=1857–1880}} {{s-aft|after=Ezekiel B. Turner}} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:DuVal, Thomas Howard}} Category:1813 births Category:1880 deaths Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas Category:United States federal judges appointed by Franklin Pierce Category:19th-century American judges Category:19th-century American politicians Category:United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Category:People from Buckingham County, Virginia