Thomas Phoenix

Thomas Phoenix was an American lawyer and politician from New [York (state)|New York].

Name

The family name Phoenix, sometimes spelled Phœnix, derives from the homophonous English family name Fenwicks which is pronounced like FENN-ix. The Fenwicks resided originally at the Fenwick Tower in Northumberland.

Life

Phoenix graduated A.B. from Columbia College in 1795. He was admitted to the bar in 1798.
He was New [York County District Attorney] from 1835 to 1838. In 1836, he prosecuted Richard P. Robinson for the murder of Helen Jewett, but lost the case to Ogden Hoffman, his predecessor in the D.A's office, who appeared for the defence and secured Robinson's acquittal.