Thomas McDonald

Thomas McDonald in 1904

Thomas Carson McDonald (born November 2, 1854 in Greensboro, Hale County – died 1923) was a businessman and chief of the Birmingham Police Department from 1893 to 1898.

McDonald was the grandson of a Scottish-born Virginian who settled at St Stephens when it was the territorial capital of Alabama. Thomas' father, William McDonald, was born in Greensboro in 1824 and became a successful merchant there. In 1871, however, business faltered and he moved with his wife and son to the newly-established city of Birmingham, investing $200 to buy the second lot sold by the Elyton Land Company. He prospered, served on the Birmingham Board of Aldermen, and died in 1890.

Thomas attended the common schools in Hale County until the age of 17, when he joined his father's business in Birmingham. He helped to erect their home and place of business, hauling material by oxcart. In 1878 he moved to Tuscaloosa, but returned seven years later with his wife, the former Annie Brackett, to serve on the Birmingham Police Department and to invest his savings in real estate. He also founded the White Swan Laundry.

McDonald spent eight years on the force, rising from patrolman to sergeant, lieutenant, and captain before he was elected Chief of Police. In 1911 he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives. He died in 1923.

Preceded by: S. H. Norton

Chief of Birmingham Police Department 1893–1898

Succeeded by: C. W. Austin

References

• Dubose, Joel Campbell (1904) Notable men of Alabama: Personal and Genealogical 2 Volumes. Atlanta, Georgia: Southern Historical Association
• Owen, Thomas McAdory and Marie Bankhead Owen (1921) History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. 4 volumes. Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.