Thomas S. Wootton

Dr. Thomas Sprigg Wootton (c. 1740 – 1789) an American politician who served as one of members of the Maryland Constitutional Convention. Wooton was also one of the founders of Montgomery County, Maryland, which he did by introducing a bill in the Maryland General Assembly on September 6, 1776, to divide Frederick into three counties---Frederick, Montgomery, and Washington.[1] These were the first counties in America to be established by elected representatives. The names selected for the new counties also broke with tradition. Earlier counties had all been named for old-world figures such as Prince George and Queen Anne, but these were named after two popular Americans of the time—George Washington and Richard Montgomery. Wootton was also a slave owner, inheriting them from his father.[2]

Thomas S. Wootton
1st Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates
In office
1777
GovernorThomas Johnson
Preceded byOffice Established
Succeeded byNicholas Thomas
Personal details
Born1740
Died1789
Political partyNone

The Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School in Rockville, Maryland is named after him.

References
  1. Farquhar, Roger Brooke (1952). Historic Montgomery County, Old Homes, and History. Baltimore, Maryland: Monumental Printing Company. p. 20.
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/naming-rights--and-wrongs-montgomery-students-reveal-uncomfortable-truths/2018/05/21/64ebf2fe-5d08-11e8-9ee3-49d6d4814c4c_story.html


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