Thomas Lanier Clingman was born in Surry County, North Carolina on July 27,1812. A lawyer, after a term in the North Carolina State Senate he became a representative in the U.S. Congress, serving from 1843-1845 and again from 1847-1858. He served in the U.S. Senate from 1858-1861, but his term was interrupted by the Civil War. He then served as a Confederate general during the war. He died in Morganton, North Carolina on November 3, 1897.