Samuel 'Buzz' Thomas (born January 28, 1969) is a politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. He was a Democratic member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, representing the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

beginning in 2003 and served as the Democratic Floor Leader until 2011 when he reached his two term limit. His district is completely located in the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and includes portions of northwest, east, central, and southwest Detroit. Previously he was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

from 1997 to 2002.

Early life

Thomas was born in Detroit in 1969 and is a graduate of Detroit Country Day School and the University of Pennsylvania . Before becoming an elected official he worked as a homebuilder in metro Detroit, where he was Construction Manager for Parkside Building Company and Avis Tech Park partners, managing both commercial renovations and single-family, residential construction. He also held senior positions with US Representatives from Michigan, Barbara-Rose Collins and

Bob Carr (Michigan politician) Milton Robert Carr (March 27, 1943 – August 27, 2024) was an American lawyer, academic, and politician from Michigan. Carr served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 6th and 8th congressional districts for eight terms and o ...

Political career

In 1996, one hundred and four years after his great grand uncle,

William Webb Ferguson William Webb Ferguson (May 22, 1857 – March 30, 1910) was the first African-American man elected to the Michigan House of Representatives. Early life Ferguson was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Joseph and Martha Ferguson. His father, Joseph ...

, was the first African-American elected to the Michigan Legislature, Thomas was elected to the

Michigan State House of Representatives Michigan ( ) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio ...

. He represented the 10th district, located in northwest Detroit. He served in the House for six years. In 2002, he was elected by his House colleagues as the House Democratic Leader, one of the youngest members ever elected to that position and only the second African American elected as a House leader. In 2002 he was elected to the Michigan Senate and re-elected in 2006. In 2007, his colleagues once again elected him to a leadership position, as the Senate Democratic Floor Leader. He is one of the few Michigan legislators to have held leadership positions in both the Michigan House and Senate.

Recognition

Senator Thomas received many recognitions for his service, including being named one of Michigan’s five “Key Technology Leaders” by the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'', One Of Four Up-And-Coming Leaders by Savoy, “Most Dedicated Detroiter” and “Best Local Politician” by Real Detroit Magazine, "A Rising Star" by both ''

The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United S ...

'' and Hotline, and an "Under-40 Political 'Buzz' Saw" by the Michigan Front Page. He has received awards and recognition from over two dozen community groups, publications, and organizations.

Committees

Buzz Thomas was the ranking Democrat on the Economic Development and Regulatory Reform Committee. He also served on the Homeland Security and Emerging Technologies Committee and on the Energy Policy Committee.

Electoral history

*2006 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 4th District *2002 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 4th District *2000 Election for the Michigan State House *1998 Election for the Michigan State House *1996 Election for the Michigan State House

References

External links

Michigan Senate - Buzz ThomasProject Vote Smart - Senator Samuel Thomas (MI)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Samuel Buzz Thomas III
200620042002200019981996
campaign contributions
Michigan Senate Democratic CaucusMichigan Liberal - SD04
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Buzz Michigan state senators Members of the Michigan House of Representatives 1969 births Living people African-American state legislators in Michigan Detroit Country Day School alumni 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature