Thomas Biddle

ABOUT THOMAS BIDDLE

Remembered best for his fatal 1831 duel with Missouri politician Spencer Pettis, this Pennsylvania-born man also had a distinguished military career, serving during the War of 1812 in the battles of Stony Creek, Fort George, Fort Erie, and Lundy's Lane.

As a young United States Army major, he aided General George Izard.

His duel with Spencer Pettis, which resulted in the deaths of both men, was spurred by critical statements Pettis had made about Biddle's older brother, Nicholas, who was then serving as President of the Second Bank of the United States.

He was born into a prominent Pennsylvania Quaker family. In the early 1820s, he married a Missouri millionaire's daughter named Ann Mullanphy.

During the War of 1812, he served in an infantry unit led by explorer and military man Zebulon Pike .