Thomas Wade was born in North Carolina in 1720. He became a resident of Anson County in 1770 and served as a local justice of the peace from 1772 to 1774. In 1774 he became a member of the local Committee of Correspondence and later represented Anson at the North Carolina Provincial Congress. During the American Revolution, he served as colonel of the Salisbury District of Minute Men, a patriot unit, and led men at several notable battles including the Battle of Drowning Creek. He represented Anson in the State Senate from 1780 until his death in the fall of 1786.