Thomas Blount (statesman)


Thomas Blount was served as a Lieutenant in the North Carolina Line and as an Adjutant General to Major General Richard Caswell in the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, he served as a representative in the North Carolina General Assembly and served three terms in U.S. Representative from the 5th Congressional District in North Carolina.

Early life

He was born at Blount Hall on May 10, 1759 in Craven County, North Carolina. His parents were Jacob Blount of Beaufort County, North Carolina and Barbara Gray Blount. Jacob Blount acquired an estate of six thousand acres on Contentnea Creek between 1757 and 1783. Thomas had six siblings: William, Ann, John Gray, Louisa, Reading, and Jacob. Thomas's mother died in 1763 and his father remarried to Hannah Salter Baker. Thomas was educated at home. He was close to his brothers William and John Gray in both business and politics. Together, they ran the Blount Brothers mercantile business, which was one of the largest in North Carolina and based in Washington, North Carolina. John Gray and William were representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Military service

In 1777 at the age of 16, Blount entered the Continental Army's 5th North Carolina Regiment during the American Revolutionary War. He served as a lieutenant under Captain Benjamin Stedman. He was dropped from the rolls in January 1778, since he was captured during the conflicts. He was among those prisoners of war shipped to England for detention. In 1780, he was back in North Carolina and served as Adjutant General to Major General Richard Caswell in the North Carolina militia.

Political career

His brother, John Gray Blount, was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly House of Commons in 1783.
He served as a representative from the North Carolina in the United States House of Representatives:
He was the brother of William Blount and John Gray Blount and the uncle of William Grainger Blount. His wife, Mary J. Sumner, was the daughter of Jethro Sumner.
His home at Tarboro, The Grove, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.