Thomas Ray Hamer was a United States Representative

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...

 from Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

. Hamer served as a single term as 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...

 in the House from 1909 to 1911, representing the state at-large. Hamer attended Hedding College

Hedding College

Hedding College was a college in Abingdon, Illinois from 1855-1927.The school was named after Methodist Bishop Elizah Hedding. Merged with Illinois Wesleyan University in 1930. The campus was used by the Roosevelt Military Academy for a while....

, and Indiana University school of Law - Bloomington {now Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

The Indiana University Maurer School of Law is located on the flagship campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. The law school is one of two law schools operated by the Indiana University system, the other being the Indiana University McKinney School of Law...

}, and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in St. Anthony, Idaho, in 1893. He engaged in agricultural pursuits in Fremont County, Idaho before entering politics. He was a member of the Idaho House of Representatives

Idaho House of Representatives

The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State Legislature. It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms and meets at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise, Idaho.-Composition of the House:...

 in 1896 and served until 1898 when he enlisted as a private in the First Regiment, Idaho Volunteer Infantry and served as captain and lieutenant colonel in the Philippine–American War. After his term in congress, Hamer resumed his law practice in St. Anthony, Idaho engaging in banking at St. Anthony and Boise, Idaho. He would go on to once again serve in the military as a major and lieutenant colonel in the Judge Advocate General

Judge Advocate General

In the United Kingdom, the Judge Advocate General and Judge Martial of all the Forces is a judge responsible for the court martial process within the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.-Qualifications:...

’s Department, during the First World War; After his service he would re-locate to Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

 and practice private law, until 1943, when he retired and moved to Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. He died in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

, on December 22, 1950, at the age of 86.