Thomas Beloat

Thomas Beloat (February 6, 1855 – February 23, 1946) was an American sheriff of Gibson County, Indiana at the turn of the 20th century noted for stopping a lynching in the county seat of Princeton. He was the subject of a June 10, 1901 article in the New York Tribune. Beloat was one of two law enforcement officials whose bravery in preventing lynchings in early 20th-century America was noted by Mark Twain in his 1901 essay The United States of Lyncherdom.

Beloat was born on February 6, 1855 near Fort Branch, Indiana.

A Republican, he served as sheriff from January 1, 1901 to December 31, 1904. He was a charter member of the Gibson County Sons of Veterans organization.

In 1919, he was named as deputy fish and game warden for the first congressional district of Indiana, serving in this capacity for fifteen years.

Beloat died in Princeton on February 23, 1946 at the age of 91.