Thomas W. L. Ashley

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This article is about the American politician. For the New Zealand sailing champion, see Tom Ashley.

Ashley is listed second from the top on the Skull and Bones entry in the 1948 Yale Banner.

Thomas William Ludlow Ashley, usually known as Lud Ashley (born January 11, 1923) was an American politician of the Democratic party. He served as a U.S. representative from Ohio from 1955 to 1981.

He is the great-grandson of James Mitchell Ashley, who was also a congressman from Ohio. While at Yale University, he was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones along with future U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

Ashley was born in Toledo, Ohio. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a corporal in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

Following the war, Ashley graduated in 1948 from Yale University. He then worked with the Toledo Publicity and Efficiency Commission while studing law during night classes at the University of Toledo Law School. He then graduated from Ohio State University Law School at Columbus in 1951. He was admitted to the bar the same year and began practicing law.

Ashley joined the staff of Radio Free Europe (RFE) in 1952. He served in Europe for RFE and was the co-director of the press section and later was the assistant director of special projects. He resigned from RFE on March 1, 1954 in order to wage a successful bid for Congress.

He served thirteen terms in Congress and served as the Chairman of the Select Committee on Energy (Ad Hoc) from 1977 until 1979 and then as Chairman of the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries from 1979 until 1981.

In the 1980 general election, Ashley lost in an upset to Republican challenger Ed Weber. He currently lives in Leland, Michigan. He has a daughter Lise Ashley Murphy and two sons, William Meredith, and Mark Michael.