Dr Thomas Graeme (1688-1772)

Dr Thomas Graeme, of Philadelphia & Graeme Park, Montgomery County

Associated Houses

Powel House

Philadelphia

He came to Philadelphia with Sir William Keith, the newly appointed Governor whose family was intimately connected with his own. He held all his appointments by virtue of his character and his connection to Keith which was further strengthened when he married Keith's stepdaughter in 1719. He was appointed a Naval Officer that year and was Physician to the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1741. Aside from his medical profession, Keith appointed him Register-General, Master of Chancery (1724) and a Member of the Provincial Council (1726-1738). "In tribute to his sense of fairness and character" Dr. Graeme was appointed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1731 as the third of its three Judges. He was appointed Second Justice of the Court in 1738 and also served as Judge for the Counties of Philadelphia, Buckingham and Chester. Socially, he was elected President of St. Andrew's Society (holding balls at Powel House) and was a member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Medical Society. He and his wife were the parents of nine children. 

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Contributed by Mark Meredith on 07/12/2018 and last updated on 08/03/2021.