Following in a family tradition

In early 19th-century Philadelphia, anyone who was anyone knew Thomas Cadwalader.

Born in 1779, Cadwalader was an ambitious young man who became a successful lawyer, military officer, and socialite. This is perhaps unsurprising, considering that he was the son of Gen. John Cadwalader, who had served under George Washington during the Revolutionary War.

Thomas Cadwalader graduated from the University of Pennsylvania at 16 and was admitted to the bar in 1801. Three years later, he eloped with Mary Biddle, despite his mother's objections to the match. During his successful legal career, he represented the interests of the extended Penn family in the commonwealth and served as a trustee of the Bank of the United States.

Following family tradition, Cadwalader was also active in the military. In 1809, he became captain of Philadelphia's Second City Troop. When this troop combined with the First City Troop to form a regiment in 1811, he became its lieutenant colonel and subsequently its commanding officer. During the War of 1812, he served on Philadelphia's Committee of Defense and in field camps at Kennett Square and Wilmington.

In addition to his legal and military work, Cadwalader enjoyed a prosperous social life. The most accomplished scholars in the country visited his house on the southeast corner of Ninth and Arch Streets. In 1824, he hosted a reception for the Marquis de Lafayette during the Revolutionary War hero's return trip to the United States. Cadwalader also counted as close friends Nicholas Biddle, president of the Bank of the United States, and Joseph Bonaparte, the elder brother of the French emperor Napoleon.

However, Cadwalader had an enemy in Granville Sharp Pattison, a local surgeon. In 1823, Pattison shot Cadwalader in the right elbow during a duel; he never fully regained use of the arm. He died at age 61 in 1841.