Thomas Sweeney (glassmaker)

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Thomas Sweeney (often spelled Sweeny) was a glassmaker and politician who lived in Wheeling, in what is now West Virginia. Born on March 6, 1806 in Armagh, Ireland, he came to the United States as a child and settled near Wheeling by 1830. He died on May 9, 1890, in Wheeling and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

Family beginnings and business
- Sweeney and his brothers bought the North Wheeling Manufacturing Company in 1830 and by 1835 built a new flint glass factory in north Wheeling, making bottles and other wares.
- The Sweeney firm became a prominent part of Wheeling’s growing glass industry, which also included other local firms and furnaces.
- The family produced large, prize-winning glass bowls; one was given to Senator Henry Clay in 1844.
- In 1848, the partnership between Thomas and his brother Michael Sweeney dissolved. Thomas then brought his eldest son, Andrew J. Sweeney, into the business. Andrew would later become Wheeling’s mayor several times and remain an important local businessman.

Political career
- A Whig, Sweeney was elected to the Virginia Senate in 1851 and served from 1852 to 1853, representing Brooke, Hancock, and Ohio counties.
- He later served in the Virginia House of Delegates from Ohio County from 1857 to 1859.

Civil War era and legacy
- During the Civil War era, Wheeling briefly served as the capital of the new state of West Virginia, and the Sweeney glassworks continued to be a leading local industry.
- After his retirement, the Sweeney glassworks closed in 1875.
- Thomas Sweeney had ten children and left a long line of descendants who continued to influence industry, public service, and the military.
- His family remained prominent in Wheeling; his son Andrew J. Sweeney became a notable mayor and businessman, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren pursued distinguished careers.