| John W. Thomas | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Idaho |
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| In office June 30, 1928 – March 3, 1933 November 5, 1940 – November 10, 1945 |
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| Preceded by | Frank R. Gooding (1928) William E. Borah (1940) |
| Succeeded by | James P. Pope (1933) Charles C. Gossett (1945) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 4, 1874 Phillips County, Kansas |
| Died | November 10, 1945 (aged 71) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Florence Thomas |
| Children | Mary Brooks |
| Residence | Gooding |
| Alma mater | Central Normal College |
| Profession | Teacher, Banker |
John W. Thomas (January 4, 1874 – November 10, 1945) was an American Politician. A Republican, he served on two occasions as a United States Senator from Idaho, both times appointed after his predecessor died in office.
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Born on a farm in Phillips County, Kansas, Thomas attended the rural schools and the Central Normal College at Great Bend, Kansas. He taught school, serving as superintendent of schools of Phillips County, Kansas from 1898 to 1903, and as register of land office at Colby, Kansas from 1906 to 1909, when he moved to Gooding, Idaho, where he engaged in banking and livestock business.
He was elected mayor of Gooding in 1917 for a two-year term. Thomas was a member of the Republican 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 Governor H. 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 Democrat James 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 Democrat Glen H. Taylor. Thomas died in office three years later.
Thomas is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Gooding.
Thomas and his wife Florence had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Thomas Peavey Brooks, on Nov. 1, 1907, who would later become an Idaho State Senator and director of the United States Mint. After the death of her first husband, Art Peavey, Mary married C. Wayland Brooks, a colleague of Senator's Thomas' in the Senate from Illinois. A grandson, John Peavey, served for over two decades in the Idaho Senate and was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho in 1994.
| United States Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank R. Gooding |
United States Senator (Class 3) from Idaho June 30, 1928–March 3, 1933 Served alongside: William E. Borah |
Succeeded by James P. Pope |
| Preceded by William E. Borah |
United States Senator (Class 2) from Idaho January 27, 1940–November 10, 1945 Served alongside: D. Worth Clark, Glen H. Taylor |
Succeeded by Charles C. Gossett |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Frank R. Gooding |
Republican Party nominee, U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Idaho 1928 special (won), 1932 (lost) |
Succeeded by Donald A. Callahan |
| Preceded by William E. Borah |
Republican Party nominee, U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Idaho 1940 special (won), 1942 (won) |
Succeeded by Henry Dworshak |
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