Thomas F. Bayard Jr.

Thomas F. Bayard Jr.
United States Senator from Delaware
In office November 8, 1922 – March 3, 1929
Preceded by	T. Coleman du Pont
Succeeded by	John G. Townsend Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1868-06-04)June 4, 1868 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Died	July 12, 1942(1942-07-12) (aged 74) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Bradford du Pont (m. 1908)
Residence	Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	lawyer

Thomas Francis Bayard Jr. (June 4, 1868 – July 12, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Delaware in the 1920s.

Early life and family

Bayard was born in Wilmington, Delaware, son of U.S. Senator Thomas F. Bayard Sr. and grandson of U.S. Senator James A. Bayard Jr. In 1908, he married Elizabeth Bradford du Pont, and they had five children, Elizabeth, Thomas, Ellen, James, and Alexis. They were members of the Episcopal Church.

Bayard graduated from Yale University in 1890, where he was a member of Skull and Bones,^[1]:29 attended Yale Law School and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1893. After living in New York City for four years and working as assistant corporation counsel, he returned to his Delaware law practice in 1901.

He married Elizabeth Bradford du Pont on October 4, 1908.^[2]

He served as a chairman of the Delaware Democratic Party's state committee from 1906 to 1916, and as solicitor for the city of Wilmington from 1917 until 1919.

Professional and political career

Bayard was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election on November 7, 1922, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of U.S. Senator Josiah O. Wolcott. On the same day, he was also elected for the full term to follow, in both instances defeating incumbent Republican U.S. Senator T. Coleman du Pont (a cousin of Bayard's wife), who had been appointed. During this term, he served in the Democratic minority in the last session of the 67th Congress, and in the 68th, 69th, and 70th Congress.

Bayard lost his bid for a second full term in 1928 to Republican John G. Townsend Jr., the former governor. He then lost another bid for a second full term in 1930 to incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Daniel O. Hastings. In all, Bayard served one term and part of another, from November 7, 1922 to March 3, 1929, during the administrations of U.S. Presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Subsequently, he resumed his law practice in Wilmington.

Death and legacy

Bayard died at Wilmington and is buried there in the Old Swedes Episcopal Church Cemetery. His son, Alexis I. du Pont Bayard, served as Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 1949 to 1953.

He is the namesake of the town of Bayard, West Virginia.^[3]

References

1. ↑ "Obituary Record Of Graduates Of Yale University Deceased During The Year, 1942-1943" (PDF). Yale University. January 1, 1944. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
2. ↑ "Bayard - du Pont". New York Times. October 4, 1908. Retrieved 2012-11-28. At Rencourt, near Greenville, to-day, Miss Elizabeth B. Du Pont, daughter of Alexis Irene Du Pont and the late Dr. Alexis I. Du Pont, was married to Thomas F. Bayard, son of the late Ambassador Bayard. ... 
3. ↑ Kenny, Hamill (1945). West Virginia Place Names: Their Origin and Meaning, Including the Nomenclature of the Streams and Mountains. Piedmont, WV: The Place Name Press. p. 98. 

References

• Carter, Richard B. (2001). Clearing New Ground, The Life of John G. Townsend Jr. Wilmington, Delaware: The Delaware Heritage Press. ISBN 0-924117-20-6. 
• Munroe, John A. (1993). History of Delaware. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press. ISBN 0-87413-493-5. 

Images

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress; photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.

External links

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
• Delaware’s Members of Congress
• Thomas F. Bayard Jr. at Find a Grave
• The Political Graveyard