Lot Thomas (October 17, 1843 – March 17, 1905) was a state-court judge who also served three terms as a Republican

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

's now-obsolete 11th congressional district, in northwestern Iowa. Born on a farm near Markleysburg, Pennsylvania to Christian and Susan Fike Thomas,"Lot Thomas is Dead," Emmettsburg Democrat, 1905-03-22 at p. 3. Lot Thomas attended the public schools in Pennsylvania, then Vermillion Institute in

Hayesville, Ohio Hayesville is a village in Vermillion Township, Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 447 at the 2020 census. History Lemuel Boulter was the original owner of the land that the village of Hayesville was formed. Boulter sol ...

. He moved to Iowa in 1868. After teaching school in New Virginia, in Warren County, he attended the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. History The law school was founded in 1865 by George Grover Wright and Chester C. Cole as an independent la ...

. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1870. That year he moved to Sioux Rapids in

Buena Vista County, Iowa Buena Vista County (; ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,823. Its county seat is Storm Lake. The county is named for the final victory of Field General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican� ...

, where he started his law practice. When the county seat was moved to Storm Lake, Thomas also moved there."Died En Route to California," Perry Daily Chief, 1905-03-18 at p. 2. He was Buena Vista County Attorney from 1872 to 1885. From 1885 until 1898, he served as judge of the fourteenth judicial district of Iowa (which included Buena Vista, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Dickinson, Emmett, Kossuth, Humboldt, and Clay Counties).Editorial, The Milford Mail, 1898-02-24 at p. 4. In February 1898, Thomas challenged incumbent Republican Congressman

George D. Perkins George Douglas Perkins (February 29, 1840 – February 3, 1914) was a longtime newspaper editor, Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 11th congressional district in the northwestern portion of the state, and a candidate for his party's ...

for the Republican nomination for the 11th congressional district seat held by Perkins since 1891. After defeating Perkins for the nomination on the 217th ballot, he resigned his judgeship effective August 16, 1898. Thomas won the general election, and in 1899 became a member of the Fifty-sixth Congress. He was re-elected twice, and served in the Fifty-seventh, and Fifty-eighth Congresses. Thomas' service in Congress coincided with a worsening of factionalism within the Iowa Republican Party, with an "insurgent" contingent loyal to the career and platform of Des Moines attorney (and later Governor and U.S. Senator) Albert B. Cummins, and another "stand-patter" faction hostile toward Cummins. Thomas was considered a leader in the pro-Cummins faction. He also served on the

House Committee on the Judiciary The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, f ...

. He tried and failed to win renominated by his party in 1904."Hubbard Wins in the Eleventh District," Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette, 1904-05-05 at p. 1. In all, Thomas served in Congress from March 4, 1899, to March 3, 1905. Thomas lived only two weeks following the end of his congressional service. In poor health and in search of a more hospitable setting, died on a train near

Yuma, Arizona Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064. Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...

on March 17, 1905, while en route to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was interred in Storm Lake Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Lot 1843 births 1905 deaths Iowa state court judges People from Buena Vista County, Iowa University of Iowa College of Law alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Politicians from Fayette County, Pennsylvania 19th-century Iowa state court judges 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives