Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan
| Thomas M. T. McKennan | |
|---|---|
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| 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior | |
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In office August 15, 1850 – August 26, 1850 |
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| President | Millard Fillmore |
| Preceded by | Thomas Ewing |
| Succeeded by | Alexander H. H. Stuart |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 21st district |
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In office March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1839 |
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| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Leet |
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In office May 30, 1842 – March 3, 1843 |
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| Preceded by | Joseph Lawrence |
| Succeeded by | William Wilkins |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 15th district |
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In office March 4, 1831 – March 3, 1833 |
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| Preceded by | William McCreery |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Beaumont |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 31, 1794 New Castle, Delaware, United States |
| Died | July 9, 1852 (aged 58) Reading, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Resting place | Washington Cemetery in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Political party | Anti-Masonic, Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Matilda Bowman McKennan |
| Children | 8 |
| Alma mater | Washington College |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Railroad President |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan (March 31, 1794 – July 9, 1852) was a 19th-century politician and lawyer who served briefly as United States Secretary of the Interior under President Millard Fillmore.
McKennan was born in New Castle, Delaware on March 31, 1794, the son of Col. William and Elizabeth Thompson McKennan. He later moved with his family to Washington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Washington College in 1810 and was admitted to the bar in 1814, commencing practice in Washington.
He was a member of the Union Literary Society at Washington College. In a January 1811 speech to the Union Society, McKennan outlined the seven areas of study (Latin and Greek; Mathematics; Rhetoric; Logic; Geography and History; Natural Philosophy; and Moral Philosophy) that comprised the college's curriculum at the time.
He worked as a tutor at Washington College in 1813, as he was studying law. Later, he was a Trustee of the College and was often asked to be President of Washington College, but he refused every time.
He was deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania from 1815 to 1816, and served on the Town Council in Washington, Pennsylvania, from 1818 to 1830, and was elected to the twenty-second congress in 1830. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1831 to 1839, where he made a protective tariff his top priority. McKennan refused to stand as a candidate again in the 1838 elections, and retired from Congress. He served again from 1842 to 1843 as both an Anti-Masonic and Whig to complete the term of his late successor Joseph Lawrence. (The special election was set for May 20, 1842.) He was the chairman of the Committee on Roads and Canals in the twenty-seventh congress.
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