Charles Spalding Thomas
Encyclopedia
Charles Spalding Thomas (December 6, 1849 June 24, 1934) was a United States Senator from Colorado
. Born in Darien
, McIntosh County
, Georgia
, he attended private schools in Georgia and Connecticut
, and served briefly in the Confederate
Army.
at Ann Arbor in 1871, and was admitted to the bar
the same year. He moved to Colorado and began to practice in Denver, where he was a city attorney in 1875 and 1876. He was a member of the Democratic National Committee
from 1884 to 1896, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States House of Representatives
in 1884, to the Senate in 1888 and 1895, and to the governor
ship in 1894.
Thomas was Governor of Colorado from 1899 to 1901, and was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1913 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles J. Hughes, Jr.
he was reelected in 1914, and served from January 15, 1913, to March 3, 1921. In 1920, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection on the Nationalist ticket, receiving only 3% of the vote.
In the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses, Thomas was chairman of the Committee on Woman Suffrage, and a member of the Committee on Coast Defenses (Sixty-fifth Congress) and the Committee on Pacific Railroads (Sixty-sixth Congress). He resumed the practice of law in Denver, where he died on June 24, 1934; his remains were cremated and his ashes were interred in Fairmount Cemetery
in Denver.
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Born in Darien
Darien, Georgia
Darien is a city in McIntosh County, Georgia, United States. It lies on Georgia's coast at the mouth of the Altamaha River about 50 miles south of Savannah, and is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Darien was 1,719 at the 2000 census. The city is the...
, McIntosh County
McIntosh County, Georgia
McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Brunswick, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of McIntosh, Glynn, and Brantley counties. As of 2010, the population is 14,333. The county seat is Darien.-History:McIntosh County was split...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, he attended private schools in Georgia and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, and served briefly in the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army.
Biography
Thomas graduated from the law department of the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann Arbor in 1871, and was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
the same year. He moved to Colorado and began to practice in Denver, where he was a city attorney in 1875 and 1876. He was a member of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
from 1884 to 1896, and was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1884, to the Senate in 1888 and 1895, and to the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
ship in 1894.
Thomas was Governor of Colorado from 1899 to 1901, and was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1913 to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Charles J. Hughes, Jr.
Charles J. Hughes, Jr.
Charles James Hughes, Jr. was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Colorado.Born in Kingston, Missouri, Hughes attended the common schools and graduated from Richmond College in 1871. He then graduated from the law department of the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1873, was admitted to the bar in...
he was reelected in 1914, and served from January 15, 1913, to March 3, 1921. In 1920, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection on the Nationalist ticket, receiving only 3% of the vote.
In the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses, Thomas was chairman of the Committee on Woman Suffrage, and a member of the Committee on Coast Defenses (Sixty-fifth Congress) and the Committee on Pacific Railroads (Sixty-sixth Congress). He resumed the practice of law in Denver, where he died on June 24, 1934; his remains were cremated and his ashes were interred in Fairmount Cemetery
Fairmount Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)
Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado was founded in 1890 and is Denver's second oldest operating cemetery after Riverside Cemetery. It was designed by German landscape architect Reinhard Schuetze...
in Denver.