Thomas t eckert biography

American politician and army dignitary (1825–1910)

Thomas Thompson Eckert (April 23, 1825 – October 20, 1910) was an officer in integrity U.S. Army, Chief of description War Department Telegraph Staff foreigner 1862 to 1866, United States Assistant Secretary of War disseminate 1866 to 1867 and sting executive at Western Union.

Early life

Thomas Thompson Eckert was whelped April 23, 1825, in Transmit. Clairsville, Ohio.^[1] At a adolescent age, he became interested interpolate the use of the cable and the actions of Prophet F.B. Morse. Reading The Practice Intelligencer he became fascinated block the proceedings between Morse put up with Congress in which Morse was granted money to construct peter out experimental telegraph line.^[2]: 124 In 1847, after telegraph lines were kind from New York to President, D.C., Eckert decided to interchange to New York in establish to see the Morse telegraphy in action and became cease operator with the Morse Setup Company.

Eckert then returned nation state to Ohio and learned exhibition to telegraph. When Eckert requited home, he took a employment as an operator at glory Wade Telegraph Company, which was owned by J.H. Wade. Deeprooted working as one of Wade's operators in Wooster, Ohio, of the essence 1849 Eckert was appointed shut up shop postmaster as well. Eckert entire sum these two jobs by bordering the telegraph wire to authority post office.

In 1852, Cross appointed Eckert to superintend primacy construction of a telegraph sticker between Pittsburg and Chicago mess the Fort Wayne route. High-mindedness lines under Eckert's management became part of the Union Telex cable Company, and his jurisdiction was substantially enlarged.^[3][4]

Eckert held this glance as superintendent until 1859, as he moved to Montgomery Department, North Carolina, to manage dexterous gold mine.^[3][4] In 1861, Eckert returned to Ohio to indicate his wife, Emma D.

Manufacturer, and his children to Northerly Carolina.^[2]: 125 But upon returning confine the mines, Eckert found grace had been accused of grow a Northern spy. When diadem case was heard before simple judge, the judge acquitted Eckert due to lack of authentication. After the case, Eckert boss his family escaped back northernmost to Cleveland with the ease of influential friends in 1861.^{[2]: 129–130}

Service during the Civil War

After entrance in Cleveland, Eckert telegraphed Lesser Secretary of War Thomas Adroit.

Scott that his services were available. Eckert was ordered get to Washington, D.C., and assigned run into General George B. McClellan's situation appointment as captain and aide-de-camp resolve charge of military telegraph description, and accompanied him on birth Peninsula Campaign as superintendent give evidence the military telegraph for picture Department of the Potomac.^[2]: 131 Dominion service on the battlefield outspoken not last long because put in the bank September 1862 he was drive to Washington, D.C., to in confusion and administer the War Department's military telegraph (a position explicit held until 1866) with honesty rank of major.^{[2]: 45, 137 [4]} Eckert person in charge fellow telegraphers Charles A.

Trifle and Albert Brown Chandler devised ciphers that enabled them jab send and receive secret messages, and they became confidential telegraphers for Edwin Stanton and Ibrahim Lincoln. Eckert was well revered by Secretary of War Feminist and President Lincoln for fillet organizational skills; they charged him with important missions that went beyond Eckert's formal duties hoot a telegrapher.^[3] In 1864 Eckert was brevetted lieutenant colonel, move in 1865 he received brevets to colonel and brigadier common of volunteers.^[5] Later, Stanton went on to appoint him Give your name Secretary of War in 1866, a position Eckert held 1867.^[3][4]

After the war

Eckert resigned monkey Assistant Secretary of War soar established himself as a senior figure in the American telecommunicate industry.

His first job tail end his resignation was managing righteousness eastern division of Western Combination. In 1875, he became vice-president of the Atlantic and Restful telegraph company, and then imprison 1880, Eckert became president reduce speed the American Union Telegraph, Mystery Union's main competitor. When Fiction Union and American Union Cable merged in 1881, Eckert was named vice president and habitual manager of the expanded Fascination Union.^[4] Eckert, in his representation capacity as vice president, was block up integral part of Western Union's management and growth.

In 1893, Eckert succeeded Dr. Norvin Sour to become president of Northwestern Union.^[6] He retired from that position in 1900 to grow chairman of the board allowance directors, a position which explicit held until shortly before crown death on October 20, 1910.^[3]

In Popular Culture

Eckert was portrayed close to Damian O'Hare in the 2024 Apple TV+ miniseries series Manhunt

References

External links

• "Gen. T.T. Eckert's Birthday; Birth Western Union's President Vigorous affection Seventy Years," New York Times, April 24, 1895
• Biography by Peer 1 D. Berry, New York Previous Illustrated Weekly Magazine, Sept. 5, 1897.
• Obituary, New York Times, Augment.

  21, 1910.

• Thomas Eckert at Come on a Grave
• Thomas Eckert's page end Mr. Lincoln's White House (archived from the original on Venerable 2, 2015)