Thomas McCauslen
was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was a native of Jefferson County, Ohio, born March 16, 1819, the eldest son of Hon. William McCauslen, a congressman of Ohio. He attended the district schools of his home and Scott's Academy at Steubenville. In the academy he was a good student, and from there he went to the study of the law in the office of Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, afterwards the great war secretary. In 1844 he was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court in Warren County, and located at West Union the same year. He was quite a society man, while single, in West Union, and much devoted to the ladies. He was liked very much by the young people, and was popular with all classes. As a lawyer, he was diligent and attentive to business and a fluent advocate. He filled the office of prosecuting attorney for three terms from 1845 to 1851, and did it with great credit to himself. In 1853 he was elected to the Ohio senate from the seventh district, composed of Adams, Scioto, Pike, and Jackson counties, and served one term. He participated in the election of the Hon. Geo. E. Pugh to the senate. During his term the superior court of Cincinnati was created and the judges' salaries fixed at $1,500, and the circulation of foreign bank bills of less than $10 was forbidden in the state. This legislature must have had a sweet tooth, for, by joint resolution, it asked congress to repeal the duty on sugar and molasses. It also favored the construction of a Pacific Railway. He declined to be a candidate for a second term. He was married in West Union on February 19, 1851, to Miss Mary Jane Sparks, daughter of John Sparks, the banker of West Union, and niece of David Sinton, of Cincinnati.
In 1856 he was one of the attorneys who defended William Milligan, indicted for the murder in the first degree, and was undoubtedly guilty as charged, but the jury brought in a verdict of murder in the second degree, and Milligan died in the penitentiary. In 1857 Mr. Mc Causlen removed to Portsmouth, where he resided and practiced law until 1865, when he removed to his native county, and located at Steubenville. He continued in the active practice of his profession in Steubenville until 1883, when he retired. He, however, left his business to his eldest son, William, born in West Union, and who has succeeded him.
At his pleasant home, within one-half mile of Steubenville, he spent thirteen years of dignified and honorable retirement in the enjoyment of the society of his family and of his old friends.
He died February 10, 1896. He had a family of four sons and four daughters, all of whom grew to maturity, and some of whom are married.
As a young man, Mr. McCauslen was jolly, good natured, and fond of outdoor sports. In politics he was a staunch Democrat, but with no particular taste for party work. In religion he was a Presbyterian. As a lawyer he was active and energetic and a fine speaker before a jury. He enjoyed a legal contest, and would throw his whole soul into it. He was an honorable gentleman, an excellent conversationalist, and a delightful companion. His manners were uniformly cordial, and it was always a pleasure to meet and converse with him. While he grew old in years, he preserved the perennial spirit of youth.
"In his years were seen"
A youthful vigor and an autumnal green."
From "History of Adams County, Ohio from its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time" - by Nelson W. Evans and Emmons B. Stivers - West Union, Ohio - Published by E. B. Stivers - 1900