Thomas Beloat Explained

Thomas Beloat (February 6, 1855 – February 23, 1946) was an American sheriff of Gibson County, Indiana at the turn of the 20th century noted for stopping a lynching in the county seat of Princeton.^[1] He was the subject of a June 10, 1901 article in the New York Tribune.^[2] Beloat was one of two law enforcement officials whose bravery in preventing lynchings in early 20th-century America was noted by Mark Twain in his 1901 essay The United States of Lyncherdom.^[3]

Beloat was born on February 6, 1855 near Fort Branch, Indiana.

A Republican, he served as sheriff from January 1, 1901 to December 31, 1904.^[4] He was a charter member of the Gibson County Sons of Veterans organization.^[5]

In 1919, he was named as deputy fish and game warden for the first congressional district of Indiana, serving in this capacity for fifteen years.^[6]

Beloat died in Princeton on February 23, 1946 at the age of 91.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Book: The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine: Volume LXII. 631. New York. Macmillan & Co. Ltd.. 1901.
2. Book: 1033. Mark Twain: Collected tales, sketches, speeches & essays. 2. 1993. The Library of America.
3. Book: Twain , Mark . Great Short Works of Mark Twain. Justin Kaplan . 193f. 2004. Harper Collins. 0060727861.
4. Web site: Sheriffs of Gibson County, Indiana. Gibson County Sheriff's Department. 2008.
5. Book: Stormont , Gil R. . History of Gibson County, Indiana: Her People, Industries and Institutions, with Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families. 261. 1914. Indianapolis, Indiana. B. F. Bowden, & Co..
6. News: THOMAS BELOAT IS NAMED AS DISTRICT DEPUTY FISH AND GAME WARDEN . Princeton Daily Clarion . 23 June 1919.
7. News: Thomas Beloat, 91, Former County Sheriff, Dies . Princeton Daily Clarion . 25 February 1946.