Thomas D. McKeown

Thomas D. McKeown

Thomas Deitz "Tom" McKeown (born June 4, 1878 in Blackstock , Chester County , South Carolina , †  October 22, 1951 in Ada , Oklahoma ) was an American politician . Between 1917 and 1921 and from 1923 to 1935 he represented the fourth constituency of the state of Oklahoma in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Thomas McKeown attended the public schools in his home country and at times also enjoyed private lessons. He then attended lectures at Cornell University in Ithaca ( New York ) until 1898 . After studying law and being admitted to the bar in 1898, he began to work in his new profession in Malvern ( Arkansas ). In 1901 McKeown moved to Ada, Indian Territory that later became part of Oklahoma State. He also worked as a lawyer in his new home. In 1909 he became president of the local bar association. Between 1910 and 1916 McKeown was a judge in several Oklahoma judicial districts.

Politically, McKeown became a member of the Democratic Party . In 1917 he was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fourth district of Oklahoma , where he replaced William H. Murray on March 4, 1917 . After a re-election in 1918, he was initially able to exercise his mandate in Congress until March 3, 1923. In the 1920 elections he was defeated by Republican Joseph C. Pringey . Two years later, McKeown managed to regain his seat in Congress. After he won the five subsequent elections, he was able to complete six consecutive terms in Congress between March 4, 1923 and January 3, 1935. For the elections of 1934 he was no longer nominated by his party.

After his tenure in Congress was over, McKeown moved to Chicago where he worked as a lawyer. In 1937 he returned to Ada, where he worked in both agriculture and the oil business. In 1942 he was a delegate to the Democratic Party Conference in Oklahoma. Between April 1946 and January 1947, McKeown served as the district attorney in Pontotoc County . He was then a district judge until his death in 1951.

Web links

• Thomas D. McKeown in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Tom D. McKeown in the database of Find a Grave (English)