John W. E. Thomas
John W. E. Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in 1885 | |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 2nd district | |
| In office 1877โ1879 | |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 3rd district | |
| In office 1882โ1886 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 1, 1847 Montgomery, Alabama |
| Died | December 18, 1899 (aged 52) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Maria Reynolds
(m. 1864; died 1878)Justine Latcher
(m. 1880; died 1883)Crittie E.O. Marshall
(m. 1887) |
| Children | 8 |
| Occupation | Grocer; real estate developer |
| Profession | Lawyer; teacher |
| [1] | |
John William Edinburgh Thomas ( May 1, 1847 โ December 18, 1899) was an American businessman, educator, and
Biography
Thomas was born May 1, 1847, in
Olivet Baptist Church, then located in the South Chicago Loop, which would become his constituency. He was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1876. He served one term but failed to be re-elected in 1878 and 1880. He was admitted to the bar in 1880 and practiced law, while also expanding his holdings in real estate. He was elected again to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1882 and re-elected to a third term in 1884.[3][1] In 1885, he was one of the 103 House members to support the U. S. Senate candidacy of John A. Logan; a fellow Republican
.
Also in 1885, Thomas introduced the legislation which became Illinois' first law preventing discrimination in public accommodations.[2] He was elected South Town Clerk in 1886 and served a single term.[3] He died December 18, 1899, as one of the wealthiest African-Americans in Chicago.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "99th General Assembly House Resolution 0223". Illinois General Assembly. April 28, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ^ a b c McClellan McAndrew, Tara (April 5, 2012). "Illinois' first black legislator". Illinois Times. Springfield, Illinois. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ^ Chicago, Illinois. December 19, 1899.
Further reading
- Joens, David A. (2012). From Slave to State Legislator: John W.E. Thomas, Illinois' first African American lawmaker. Southern Illinois University Press. OCLC 784953409.
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