Thomas Kirker (c. 1760 – February 19, 1837) was a Democratic-Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the second governor of Ohio.
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Biography
Kirker was born in County Tyrone in the Kingdom of Ireland. He moved with his family to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in
1779. Kirker married Sarah Smith in 1790, and moved with his wife to Kentucky. Three years later, they moved to Liberty Township, Adams County, Ohio. Kirker was a consistent Presbyterian, serving as an elder in the West Union congregation from 1808 until his death.
Career
He was a delegate to the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1802. He served in the first Ohio House of Representatives in 1803 and then in the Ohio State Senate from 1803 to 1815.
While serving as Speaker of the Senate, Kirker became Governor upon the resignation of Edward Tiffin to take a seat in the U.S. Senate. Kirker's term was extended through the 1807–1808 meeting of the Assembly due to the disqualification of Return J. Meigs Jr. who had won the 1807 election to the governorship but had been disqualified by the Assembly as he had not met the residency requirements.
Kirker ran for re-election in 1808, but lost badly to Samuel Huntington. Kirker later returned to the Assembly, serving in the House of Representatives from 1816 to 1817 and in the State Senate from 1821 to 1825.
He was the Ohio Presidential elector in 1824 for Henry Clay.
Kirker retired from politics, and returned to his home at his Liberty Township farm. He died on February 19, 1837. Upon his death he was buried in a family burial plot on the farm.