Thomas Ewing (American National Biography)

In November 1856 Ewing moved to Leavenworth, Kansas, and established his law practice. He also became heavily involved in land speculation in the new territory with his brother Hugh B. Ewing and also became actively involved in the Kansas Free State party. He took a strong stand against the Lecompton Constitution of 1857 and played a major role in uncovering fraud in an election for state officers through his canvass of ballot boxes in January 1858, thereby helping prevent Kansas's admission as a slave state. When admission as a free state finally came in January 1861, Ewing was elected as the new state's first chief justice of the supreme court.