David William Thomas
Encyclopedia
David William Thomas, Sr. (August 12, 1876 – August 1, 1961), was a Welsh
-American
"Renaissance man
", journalist
, university professor
and attorney
who served from 1936—1940]] as mayor
of the small city of Minden
, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana
.
, United Kingdom
, he was the son of David and Sarah Thomas. The Thomases entered the United States in 1883 and settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania
, where young Thomas received his primary schooling. He was admitted to Cornell University
in Ithaca, New York
, where he received an Ivy League
education. After graduation from Cornell, Thomas was briefly a high school
teacher and then a school principal in Lake Charles
, the seat of Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana.
After several years in Lake Charles, Thomas was hired as professor
of Latin
, Greek
and journalism
at Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
. At the time, LSU was located downtown on the site of the Louisiana State Capitol
. While Thomas was a professor at LSU, several students from Minden, including future judge Harmon Caldwell Drew
, were students there. Later, H. C. Drew's son, R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
(1917–1995), a judge and state representative
, was a pallbearer
at Thomas' funeral. So was a later mayor, John T. David
.
degree but did not begin practicing law until much later in life. He remained in his teaching position at LSU for several more years until the early 1920s, when he became publisher of a small daily newspaper, the Baton Rouge News, forerunner to the modern Baton Rouge Advocate. He was later an editor of a weekly paper in Hammond
, the principal city of Tangipahoa Parish. He left Hammond in 1923 in his 47th year to come to Minden, where he was on the staff of the new Minden Tribune, a forerunner to the Minden Press-Herald
, which merged into a daily newspaper in 1966.
In 1925, Thomas became professor of journalism at Louisiana Tech University
(then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute) in Ruston
, the seat of Lincoln Parish in northern Louisiana. He wrote poetry
, which was published in regional and national literary anthologies
. Thomas remained on the faculty at Tech for several years, including a part-time instructorship for his last years there. He returned to the Minden Tribune in 1927 before it merged with the Webster Signal to become the Signal-Tribune. Once again, he returned to higher education: professor of journalism at the University of Arkansas
in Fayetteville
.
While in Arkansas, Thomas wrote letters to the editors of local newspapers to remain in touch with the community. He returned to Minden in 1934 and never left. Twenty-five years after he had received his law degree from LSU, Thomas opened a private practice in Minden with R.F. Langston, which endured until Langston's death.
, 624 to 366. In that race, Thomas called for a reduction in municipal utility rates and for the establishment of a canning plant to assist residents in the preservation of garden foods. The incumbent that year, Connell Fort, who had also preceded future Governor Robert F. Kennon
as mayor prior to 1926 and who had handily unseated Bridges in 1932, was eliminated in the first primary held on April 10, 1934.
On March 2, 1936, at the age of sixty, Thomas was elected to the first of two two-year terms as mayor of Minden. As mayor under the former commission government
, since replaced by the single-member district mayor-council
format, Thomas pressed for paving all major streets. An amateur architect, Thomas designed the former Minden Community House in Victory Park.
During Thomas' second term, to which he was elected without opposition in 1938, controversy arose over the sale of alcohol
ic beverages. The city had allowed such sales when the Twenty-first Amendment
to the United States Constitution
was adopted in December 1933. In the fall of 1938, a local option
election was held to decide whether Minden would impose prohibition
at the municipal level. The city was voted dry effective January 1, 1939. The prohibition issue may have ruined Thomas politically, for he finished in third place in the 1940 primary election. The ultimate winner, attorney
Floyd D. Culbertson, Jr.
, served through November 1942, when he resigned as mayor to enter military service during World War II
. Thomas unsuccessfully challenged Culbertson in the 1942 election and then ran in the 1946 Democratic primary. That year he finished a weak third, with the contest being won in a runoff on May 7 by John T. David
, who defeated insurance
agent Castle O. Holland (1895–1981).
Thomas was not the first Minden mayor to have a background in journalism; so did W. Jasper Blackburn
, who served as a Democrat from 1855 to 1856. Blackburn became a Republican
during the American Civil War
and served briefly in the United States House of Representatives
and the Louisiana State Senate
.J. Frank Colbert
, a former state representative
who served as mayor from 1944–1946, also had newspaper experience. Connell Fort
was also a newspaperman during much of his working career. Twenty-six years after Thomas left the office of mayor, still another former newspaperman, Tom Colten
, became the city's first of thus far two Republican mayors.
Thomas remained active in local Democratic
politics. He served as the Webster Parish attorney for the inheritance collector from 1948 until his death.
In 1954, Thomas ran a weak third in the race for Minden city judge, a position vacated by the incument R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
The Minden native Cecil C. Lowe defeated A. Eugene Frazier in a runoff election for the position.
Thomas continued his law practice until his death. A Baptist
, he presented Bible
s to high school students upon their graduations. Services were held at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Minden, with the Reverend T. W. Leachman officiating. Thomas is interred at Minden Cemetery
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"Renaissance man
Polymath
A polymath is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas. In less formal terms, a polymath may simply be someone who is very knowledgeable...
", journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, university professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who served from 1936—1940]] as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of the small city of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
.
Early years and education
A native of Cardiff, WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, he was the son of David and Sarah Thomas. The Thomases entered the United States in 1883 and settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, where young Thomas received his primary schooling. He was admitted to Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, where he received an Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
education. After graduation from Cornell, Thomas was briefly a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher and then a school principal in Lake Charles
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Located in Calcasieu Parish, a major cultural, industrial, and educational center in the southwest region of the state, and one of the most important in...
, the seat of Calcasieu Parish in southwestern Louisiana.
After several years in Lake Charles, Thomas was hired as professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. At the time, LSU was located downtown on the site of the Louisiana State Capitol
Louisiana State Capitol
The Louisiana State Capitol building is the capitol building of the state of Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the Louisiana State Legislature, the governor's office, and parts of the executive branch...
. While Thomas was a professor at LSU, several students from Minden, including future judge Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew
Harmon Caldwell Drew was a lawyer from Minden, Louisiana, who served prior to 1945 as the district attorney of Bossier and Webster parishes and then as a judge of both the district and the state appeal courts. His political career ended with his defeat by future Governor Robert F. Kennon...
, were students there. Later, H. C. Drew's son, R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
Richard Harmon Drew, Sr. was a fourth generation judge and a former Democratic state representative who was descended from pioneer families of Webster Parish in north Louisiana...
(1917–1995), a judge and state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, was a pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
at Thomas' funeral. So was a later mayor, John T. David
John T. David
John Thomas David, Sr. was the Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1946-1955...
.
Higher education and journalism
While he was on the LSU faculty, Thomas also attended law school. He graduated in 1909 with an L.L.B.Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
degree but did not begin practicing law until much later in life. He remained in his teaching position at LSU for several more years until the early 1920s, when he became publisher of a small daily newspaper, the Baton Rouge News, forerunner to the modern Baton Rouge Advocate. He was later an editor of a weekly paper in Hammond
Hammond, Louisiana
Hammond is the largest city in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,049 at the 2009 census. It is home to Southeastern Louisiana University...
, the principal city of Tangipahoa Parish. He left Hammond in 1923 in his 47th year to come to Minden, where he was on the staff of the new Minden Tribune, a forerunner to the Minden Press-Herald
Minden Press-Herald
The Minden Press-Herald is a Monday-Friday daily newspaper published in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, by Specht Newspapers, Inc...
, which merged into a daily newspaper in 1966.
In 1925, Thomas became professor of journalism at Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University, often referred to as Louisiana Tech, LA Tech, or Tech, is a coeducational public research university located in Ruston, Louisiana. Louisiana Tech is designated as a Tier 1 school in the national universities category by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report college rankings...
(then Louisiana Polytechnic Institute) in Ruston
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
, the seat of Lincoln Parish in northern Louisiana. He wrote poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, which was published in regional and national literary anthologies
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
. Thomas remained on the faculty at Tech for several years, including a part-time instructorship for his last years there. He returned to the Minden Tribune in 1927 before it merged with the Webster Signal to become the Signal-Tribune. Once again, he returned to higher education: professor of journalism at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
.
While in Arkansas, Thomas wrote letters to the editors of local newspapers to remain in touch with the community. He returned to Minden in 1934 and never left. Twenty-five years after he had received his law degree from LSU, Thomas opened a private practice in Minden with R.F. Langston, which endured until Langston's death.
Mayoral service
Thomas ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Minden in the spring of 1934, having lost a Democratic runoff election on May 15 to former Mayor Henry L. BridgesHenry L. Bridges
Henry L. Bridges, Sr. , was a businessman who served from 1928 to 1932 and again from 1934 to 1936 as the mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana....
, 624 to 366. In that race, Thomas called for a reduction in municipal utility rates and for the establishment of a canning plant to assist residents in the preservation of garden foods. The incumbent that year, Connell Fort, who had also preceded future Governor Robert F. Kennon
Robert F. Kennon
Robert Floyd Kennon, Sr., known as Bob Kennon , was the 48th Governor of Louisiana, serving from 1952-1956. He failed to win a second non-consecutive term in the 1963 Democratic primary....
as mayor prior to 1926 and who had handily unseated Bridges in 1932, was eliminated in the first primary held on April 10, 1934.
On March 2, 1936, at the age of sixty, Thomas was elected to the first of two two-year terms as mayor of Minden. As mayor under the former commission government
City commission government
City commission government is a form of municipal government which once was common in the United States, but many cities which were formerly governed by commission have since switched to the council-manager form of government...
, since replaced by the single-member district mayor-council
Mayor-council government
The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...
format, Thomas pressed for paving all major streets. An amateur architect, Thomas designed the former Minden Community House in Victory Park.
During Thomas' second term, to which he was elected without opposition in 1938, controversy arose over the sale of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
ic beverages. The city had allowed such sales when the Twenty-first Amendment
Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
was adopted in December 1933. In the fall of 1938, a local option
Local Option
Local Option is a term used to describe the freedom whereby local political jurisdictions, typically counties or municipalities, can decide by popular vote certain controversial issues within their borders. In practice, it usually relates to the issue of alcoholic beverage sales...
election was held to decide whether Minden would impose prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
at the municipal level. The city was voted dry effective January 1, 1939. The prohibition issue may have ruined Thomas politically, for he finished in third place in the 1940 primary election. The ultimate winner, attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Floyd D. Culbertson, Jr.
Floyd D. Culbertson, Jr.
Floyd Douglas Culbertson, Jr. served from 1940-1942 as the mayor of Minden, a small city in Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Biography:Culbertson graduated at the age of nineteen in 1927 from Minden High School...
, served through November 1942, when he resigned as mayor to enter military service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Thomas unsuccessfully challenged Culbertson in the 1942 election and then ran in the 1946 Democratic primary. That year he finished a weak third, with the contest being won in a runoff on May 7 by John T. David
John T. David
John Thomas David, Sr. was the Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, from 1946-1955...
, who defeated insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
agent Castle O. Holland (1895–1981).
Thomas was not the first Minden mayor to have a background in journalism; so did W. Jasper Blackburn
W. Jasper Blackburn
William Jasper Blackburn was an American printer and publisher who served in the United States House of Representatives from northwestern Louisiana from July 18, 1868, to March 3, 1869...
, who served as a Democrat from 1855 to 1856. Blackburn became a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and served briefly in 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...
and the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
.J. Frank Colbert
J. Frank Colbert
Jefferson Franklin Colbert, known as J. Frank Colbert , was a Democratic politician who served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1920–1925 and from 1944-1946 as the mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.-Background:Colbert was born in...
, a former state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
who served as mayor from 1944–1946, also had newspaper experience. Connell Fort
Connell Fort
Connell Fort was a businessman and newspaperman who served as the Democratic mayor of the small city of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in north Louisiana, from 1922 to 1926 and again from 1932 to 1934....
was also a newspaperman during much of his working career. Twenty-six years after Thomas left the office of mayor, still another former newspaperman, Tom Colten
Tom Colten
Arthur Thomas Colten, known as Tom Colten , was a Louisiana politician from the 1960s to the 1990s who rose from a small-town mayoralty position to head his state's Department of Transportation and Development under three governors from both parties...
, became the city's first of thus far two Republican mayors.
Thomas remained active in local Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politics. He served as the Webster Parish attorney for the inheritance collector from 1948 until his death.
In 1954, Thomas ran a weak third in the race for Minden city judge, a position vacated by the incument R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
R. Harmon Drew, Sr.
Richard Harmon Drew, Sr. was a fourth generation judge and a former Democratic state representative who was descended from pioneer families of Webster Parish in north Louisiana...
The Minden native Cecil C. Lowe defeated A. Eugene Frazier in a runoff election for the position.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
, he presented Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
s to high school students upon their graduations. Services were held at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Minden, with the Reverend T. W. Leachman officiating. Thomas is interred at Minden Cemetery
Minden Cemetery
The Minden Cemetery, located in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana, United States, has graves dating from 1843, seven years after the founding of the city in 1836...
.