Tom Steed
Tom Steed | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 4th district | |
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1981 | |
Preceded by | Glen D. Johnson |
Succeeded by | Dave McCurdy |
Personal details | |
Born | March 2, 1904 Eastland County, Texas |
Died | June 8, 1983 Shawnee, Oklahoma | (aged 79)
Citizenship | United States |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Hazel Bennett Steed |
Children | Roger Steed Richard Steed |
Profession | United States of America |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1942–1944 |
Rank | Private
Second Lieutenant |
Unit | Anti-aircraft Artillery |
Thomas Jefferson Steed (March 2, 1904 – June 8, 1983) was an American politician and a
Early life
Steed was born on a farm near in Eastland County, Texas (near Rising Star, Texas) on March 2, 1904. His family later moved to Oklahoma, where he attended school (in Konawa, Oklahoma). After only one semester of high school, he began working for the Ada Evening News. He married Hazel Bennett in 1923, and they had two children, Roger and Richard. Roger was a Marine second lieutenant and fighter pilot and was killed in China in 1947.[1]
Career
Continuing to work in journalism, Steed worked for a number of Oklahoma newspapers including the Daily Oklahoman. Beginning in 1935 he served as an assistant to three of Oklahoma's U.S. congressmen, Percy Lee Gassaway, Robert P. Hill, and Gomer Griffith Smith. In 1938 he returned to Oklahoma and became managing editor of the Shawnee News-Star.
Military service
After the outbreak of
Political career
Steed ran for
Steed did not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto, and voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[4] 1960,[5] 1964,[6] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965,[7][8] but not the Civil Rights Act of 1968.[9]
Accomplishments in office
According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Steed's accomplishments while serving in Congress included:
- Conducting hearings on price wars affecting the dairy and retail petroleum industries;
- Cosponsored the Upstream Conservation Act, enacted in 1954;
- Joined with Sen. Arkansas River Navigation System;
- Cosponsored the 1956 Library Services Act, which established the bookmobile system;
- Brought the Postal Service Institute to Norman, Oklahoma in 1968;
- Helped obtain funds for the education center at Rose State College and the Gordon Cooper Vocational Education School in Shawnee.[10]
Death and legacy
Steed returned to Oklahoma and resided in Shawnee, where he remained until his death on June 8, 1983 (age 79 years, 98 days).[11] He is interred at Resthaven Cemetery in Shawnee, Oklahoma.[12] After his death, a portion of Interstate 40 near Shawnee was renamed the "Tom Steed Memorial Highway." Tom Steed Reservoir near Mountain Park is also named after him.
See also
- Politics of Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Democratic Party
- Oklahoma Congressional Districts
References
- ^ "Tom Steed". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "Tom Steed". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "Tom Steed". Govetrack US Congress. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
- ^ "H.R. 7152. PASSAGE".
- ^ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 6400, THE 1965 VOTING RIGHTS ACT".
- ^ "TO PASS H.R. 2516, A BILL TO ESTABLISH PENALTIES FOR INTERFERENCE WITH CIVIL RIGHTS. INTERFERENCE WITH A PERSON ENGAGED IN ONE OF THE 8 ACTIVITIES PROTECTED UNDER THIS BILL MUST BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED TO INCUR THE BILL'S PENALTIES".
- ^ Kosmerick, Todd J. "Steed, Thomas Jefferson (1904–1983)." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed July 30, 2016.
- ^ "Longtime Legislator Steed Dead". Henryetta Daily Free-Lance. Shawnee, Oklahoma. AP. June 8, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved March 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tom Steed". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
External links
- Tom Steed at Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- Tom Steed Collection and Photograph Series at the Carl Albert Center
- "Tom Steed". Find a Grave. Retrieved March 24, 2008.