Judge Thomas M. Peters

Judge Thomas M. Peters. . , A scientist of national fame, Peters (1810-1888) lived for many years in Moulton with his wife Naomi (Leetch), a relative of President James K. Polk, who possibly visited here. A man of many talents, Peters was a noted linguist, early civil rights and women's suffrage activist, and lawyer. At various times, he was a newspaper publisher, educator, state representative and senator, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, Alabama Constitutional Convention delegate, and a pro-Union Republican leader. In the election of 1844, he is credited with sinking the presidential hopes of Henry Clay. After military authorities ordered suspension of the local newspaper (now the Moulton Advertiser) in 1867, Peters leased and edited the paper for six months before returning it to the White family. Considered a pioneer of botany in Alabama, Peters identified several new plant species. On Sipsey River in northern Winston County, 8 Jan 1853, he discovered a plant known as “Peters' filmy fern.” He published 'Lichens of Alabama.' Many of his works can be found at Harvard, the Smithsonian Institution, and the University of Alabama. Thomas Peters was elected a member of the American Scientific Association. Peters and his family are buried in the Old Moulton Cemetery.