In the year 1815 there came to Lancaster a Brilliant and ambitious young man. He had obtained an education under circumstances of hardship and privations, that would have deterred a less ambitious man or one lacking his thirst for learning. Thomas Ewing entered the law office of General Beecher in the spring of 1815. He had previously read Blackstone. For fourteen months he applied himself to study, sixteen hours each day, and at the end of that time was admitted to the Bar.
MR. EWING was for eight years prosecuting attorney for the county of Athens, and was for twelve years prosecuting attorney of Fairfield County, Filling both offices at the time
In 1831 he was elected a senator of the United States of Ohio.
In 1840 he was Secretary of the Treasury and in 1849 Secretary of the Interior.
Again in 1851 he was appointed United States senator by Governor Ford This was the last public office held by Mr. Ewing. He then gave his attention to the law.
Mr. Ewing was one of the lawyers of his time, or of any time, and in a purely legal argument before a court he was without a rival.
It is said of him, that he once addressed the Supreme Court at great length, critcising one of their decisions and prevailed upon the judges to reverse it.
The late Judge Biddle, of Indiana, said or wrote: - Mr. Ewing was one of the great men and great lawyers of this nation, second only to Daniel Webster.
Mr. Ewing was great mentally and physically. He was a man of splendid form, strong and very active. He died Oct. 20, 1871. No man could look upon Thomas Ewing without admiring him, or fail to be impressed with his wonderful presence. He once entered the Supreme Court room at Washington, in the midst of an important argument. The attorney ceased to speak, and offered Mr. Ewing his hand, and one by one, each judge upon the bench shook hands with him before the attorney proceeded with his argument. We are indebted for this incident to the late Major Johnson, of Piqua, Ohio, who was present in the court room at the time.
In the year 1825 Henry Stanbery came to Lancaster and formed a partnership with Thomas Ewing, which continued until 1830.
