- John W. Thomas
Infobox Senator
name = John W. Thomas
jr/sr =United States Senator
state =Idaho
term_start =June 30 ,1928
term_end =March 3 ,1933 November 5 ,1940 –November 10 ,1945
preceded =Frank R. Gooding (1928)William E. Borah (1940)
succeeded =James P. Pope (1933)Charles C. Gossett (1945)
date of birth=January 4 ,1874
place of birth=Phillips County,Kansas
dead = dead
date of death=death date and age|1945|11|10|1874|1|4
place of death=Washington, D.C.
residence=Gooding
spouse=
profession=Teacher ,Banker
religion=
party=Republican|John W. Thomas (
January 4 ,1874 –November 10 ,1945 ) was an AmericanPolitician . A Republican, he served on two occasions as aUnited States Senator fromIdaho , both times appointed after his predecessor died in office.Early life
Born on a farm in Phillips County,
Kansas , Thomas attended the rural schools and theCentral Normal College atGreat Bend, Kansas . He taught school, serving as superintendent of schools of Phillips County, Kansas from 1898 to 1903, and as register of land office atColby, Kansas from 1906 to 1909, when he moved toGooding, Idaho , where he engaged in banking and livestock business.His and his wife Florence had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Thomas Peavey Brooks, on Nov. 1, 1907.
Political Life
He was elected
mayor of Gooding in 1917 for a two-year term. Thomas was a member of theRepublican National Committee from 1925 to 1933.Thomas was appointed to the United States Senate for the first time in 1928 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his political mentor,
Frank R. Gooding , by GovernorH. C. Baldridge . He won a special election later that year to finish the term. He chaired the Senate Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation from 1929 to 1933. Thomas was defeated for election to a full six-year term in 1932 by DemocratJames P. Pope .After his 1932 defeat Thomas resumed his former business pursuits. In 1940 he was appointed to the Senate again, this time by Governor
C. A. Bottolfsen to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William E. Borah. Thomas won a special election to finish the term later that year and was elected to a full term in 1942, both times defeating DemocratGlen H. Taylor . Thomas died in office three years later.Thomas is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Gooding.
ources
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* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7846277 Find A Grave: John Thomas]
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