Christopher Yancy Thomas (March 24, 1818 – February 11, 1879) was a politician and lawyer from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He served brief terms in the Virginia Senate, Virginia House and U.S. House of Representatives.

Early and family life

Born in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 60,501. The county seat is Chatham. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical ...

, Thomas attended local schools as a child and went on to graduate from a private academy in 1838.

Career

Thomas read law and was admitted to the bar in 1844, commencing practice in

Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an Political subdivisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13, ...

. He served in the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from 1860 to 1864 and was member of the commission to settle the boundary line between

and

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Thomas also served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

for

Henry County, Virginia Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,948. The county seat is usually identified as Martinsville; however, the administration building (where county offices are located ...

(surrounding Martinsville), and in 1867 was elected to serve the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868, was an assembly of delegates elected by the voters to establish the fundamental law of Virginia following the American Civil War and the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Convention, w ...

. After approval of the new state Constitution (and rejection of a proposed provision forbidding former Confederates from holding office), Thomas served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 1869, both succeeding fellow Confederate delegate and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

George W. Booker and being succeeded by him. In 1872, Thomas ran as a Republican for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

for Virginia's 5th district. He ran against former Confederate officer and Conservative

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Alexander Davis, who was initially declared the victor, but Thomas contested the result and was seated. However, Thomas served only a single term from 1874 to 1875, losing his reelection bid in 1874 to Democrat George Cabell, another lawyer and former Confederate officer active in railroad promotion.

Death and legacy

Thomas resumed practicing law until his death in

on February 11, 1879. He was interred in the family cemetery on Leatherwood plantation.

References

External links

1818 births 1879 deaths Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Republican Party Virginia state senators Virginia lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American lawyers People from Pittsylvania County, Virginia People from Martinsville, Virginia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-Representative-stub