CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · People & Ideas

T. R. Stockdale

American politician (1828-1899)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
People and ideasInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 27, 2026
Entity authorityQ2383389 ↗
Source-derived summary

Thomas Ringland Stockdale (March 28, 1828 – January 8, 1899) was a U.S. representative from Mississippi from 1886 to 1895, and a justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1896 to 1897.

Biography

Born at West Union Church near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Stockdale graduated from Jefferson College (now Washington & Jefferson College) in 1856 and received a master's degree in 1859. He taught school in Pike County, Mississippi, received his law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1859 and practiced in Woodville, Mississippi.

During the Civil War, he served in the Confederate States Army. Enlisting as a private in the 16th Mississippi Infantry in 1861, he was promoted to lieutenant, captain and major, and served as regimental adjutant. He later commanded a battalion in the 4th Mississippi Cavalry Regiment and then served as the regiment's second in command with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After the war Stockdale resumed the practice of law in Summit, Mississippi. He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1868. He was also a Democratic presidential elector in 1872 and 1884.

Stockdale was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1886 and served four terms, March 4, 1887 to March 3, 1895.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “T. R. Stockdale” as american politician (1828-1899). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Stockdale, American and politician.

Editorial reviewA productive starting point for separating a subject’s documented career from later reputation and commemoration. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1828, 1899, 1886, 1895—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1828-03-28. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Stockdale, American and politician providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “T. R. Stockdale”, the useful work is to connect “american politician (1828-1899)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2383389. VIAF identifies the subject as 121264977. The Library of Congress control number is no2010085507. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1828, 1899, 1886 and 1895.

Critical limits

Later biographies can compress uncertainty and repeat inherited reputations, so apparently settled claims may still require comparison. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “T. R. Stockdale”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow T. R. Stockdale primary sources, T. R. Stockdale archive and Stockdale research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “T. R. Stockdale”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “T. R. Stockdale” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.