Thaddeus C. Sweet

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Thaddeus Campbell Sweet (November 16, 1872 Phoenix, Oswego County, New York - May 1, 1928 Whitney Point, Broome County, New York) was an American businessman and politician.

1 Life
2 Death
3 Sources
4 External links

[edit] Life

He was the son of Anthony Wayne Sweet and Sarah Elizabeth Campbell Sweet. He attended the public schools, and graduated from Phoenix Academy and High School. Then he entered business and for two years served as a traveling salesman. In 1895, he began the manufacture of paper and was President of the Sweet Paper Manufacturing Co. He also engaged in banking. He was town clerk of Phoenix from 1896 to 1899.

He was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from 1910 to 1920, and was Speaker from 1914 to 1920.

He was a delegate from New York to the Republican National Conventions in 1916 and 1924.

He was elected to the 68th United States Congress in 1923 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Luther W. Mott and served from November 6, 1923 until his death in office, having been re-elected to the 69th and 70th United States Congress.

[edit] Death

Thaddeus Sweet was the first sitting member of Congress to die in an airplane accident. Shortly after breakfast on May 1, 1928, he and the pilot Lt. Bushrod Hoppin, U.S. Army, took of in a new Army observation plane from Bolling Field to fly to Oswego, New York, where he was to make a speech. Lt. Hoppin, known as a careful pilot, met a nasty-looking rain squall between Binghamton, New York and Cortland, New York. He thought it best to land and selected a field on a stock farm. The field was knobbly, and the airplane bounced and turned a somersault. Sweet, having unbuckled his safety belt, was pitched against the cockpit wall, and killed by a head injury. Lt. Hoppin, belted in his seat, was unbruised. Sweet was buried at the Rural Cemetery at Phoenix, N.Y.

[edit] Sources

[1] His death, in Time Magazine on May 14, 1928
Thaddeus C. Sweet at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
[2] Political Graveyard

[edit] External links

Thaddeus C. Sweet at Find A Grave

Preceded by ?	New York State Assembly, Oswego County 1910–1920	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Al Smith	Speaker of the New York State Assembly 1914 - 1920	Succeeded by H. Edmund Machold
Preceded by Luther W. Mott	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 32nd congressional district 1923 - 1928	Succeeded by Francis D. Culkin