Thomas Scudder Page | |
|---|---|
| Kentucky State Auditor | |
| In office 1839-? 1851-? | |
| Appointed by | James Clark (1839) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 19, 1800 New York City, New York, USA |
| Died | April 17, 1877 (aged 76) |
| Political party | Know Nothing (after 1855) Whig (before 1855) |
Thomas Scudder Page (April 19, 1800 – April 17, 1877) was Kentucky's first elected auditor of public accounts, and the first elected official to be tried for corruption in that state. He was born in New York City, and came to Kentucky in 1817. He became a clerk with the Land Office and in 1839 was appointed state auditor by Governor James Clark.
Biography
Under Kentucky's third constitution, auditor became an elected position. Page was elected to the position in 1851 as a Whig and in 1855 with the Know Nothing party. He required some official collectors of funds to deposit their collections with him, rather than the state treasurer directly, and in 1859 was sued by the state for embezzling $88,927 (~$2.33 million in 2022) (embezzlement was not a criminal offense at the time).
Page declared bankruptcy in 1863, and in 1867 was ordered by the legislature to repay the state $88,000, plus interest and court costs. He lived the remaining 10 years of his life in destitution in Frankfort, and was buried in Frankfort Cemetery.[1][2]
References
- ↑ Thomas S. Page
- ↑ Glen Taul; Dennis Fielding (Summer 1991). "Politics and Corruption in Antebellum Kentucky: The Thomas S. Page Affair, 1852-1860". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 89, no. 3. Kentucky Historical Society. pp. 239–265. JSTOR 23381764 – via jstor.org.