Thomas L. Blanton

Thomas L. Blanton

Thomas Lindsay Blanton (born October 25, 1872 in Houston , Texas , †  August 11, 1957 in Albany , Texas) was an American politician . Between 1919 and 1937 he represented the state of Texas twice in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Thomas Blanton attended public schools in his home country. After a subsequent law degree at the University of Texas at Austin and his admission as a lawyer in 1897, he began to work in Cleburne in this profession. Soon after, he moved to Albany, where he continued to practice as a lawyer until 1908. Between 1908 and 1917, Blanton was a judge in his state's 42nd judicial district. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party .

In the 1916 congressional election , Blanton was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 16th  constituency of Texas , where he succeeded William Robert Smith on March 4, 1917 . After five re-elections, he was able to complete six legislative terms in Congress by March 3, 1929 . Since 1919 he represented the 17th district of his state as the successor to Daniel E. Garrett . During his time as a congressman, the First World War and the ratification of the 18th and 19th amendments to the constitution took place . In 1921, Blanton was warned by Congress for improper language in a letter he published in the official Congress publication. He narrowly escaped his expulsion from the House of Representatives. However, this incident did not harm him in his constituency. He was re-elected in 1922, 1924 and 1926, respectively.

In 1928 he renounced another candidacy. Instead, he ran unsuccessfully for his party's nomination for the US Senate elections . After the death of MP Robert Quincy Lee , who had taken his seat in Congress in 1929, Blanton was elected as his successor in the by-election and returned to the House of Representatives on May 20, 1930. After three re-elections, he could remain there until January 3, 1937. From 1933 onwards, many of the New Deal laws of the federal government and President Franklin D. Roosevelt were passed. In 1933 the 20th and 21st amendments were ratified.

In 1936, Blanton was no longer nominated for re-election by his party. After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, he worked as a lawyer in the federal capital Washington in 1937 and 1938. He then returned to Albany, where he continued to work as a lawyer. He also raised Hereford cattle there . Thomas Blanton died on August 11, 1957 in Albany, where he was also buried.

Web links

• Thomas L. Blanton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Biography in the Handbook of Texas

• Thomas L. Blanton in the database of Find a Grave (English)