Thomas Jefferson Busby (July 26, 1884 – October 18, 1964) was a U.S. Representative from Mississippi. Born near

Short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

, Mississippi, Busby attended the common schools of his native city, Oakland College, Yale, Mississippi, and

Iuka Normal Institute Iuka Normal Institute (also called Iuka Normal School) was a normal school founded in Iuka, Mississippi in 1882, reportedly the first normal school built south of the Mason–Dixon line. It operated as a day school and boarding school, offering cla ...

. He then taught in the public schools of Tishomingo, Alcorn, and Chickasaw counties in Mississippi from 1903 to 1908. He graduated from the

Georgie Robertson Christian College Georgie may refer to: People * Georgie Born (b. 1955), British musician and academic * Georgie Davis (b. 1969), artist name of the Dutch singer Kees Rietveld * Georgie Friedrichs, Australian rugby sevens player * Georgie Glen, Scottish actress * Ge ...

in Henderson, Tennessee, in 1905 and from the law department of the

University of Mississippi at Oxford The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Mississi ...

in 1909. He was admitted to the bar in 1909 and began practicing at Houston, Mississippi. He served as prosecuting attorney of Chickasaw County from 1912 to 1920. Busby was elected as a Democrat to the sixty-eighth and to the five succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1923 – January 3, 1935). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1934. He remained in Washington DC practicing law with his son Jeff Busby until 1958. He then returned to Houston, Mississippi where he practiced law until his death there on October 18, 1964. He was interred in Houston Cemetery.

Natchez Trace Parkway

During his time as a Mississippi congressman, Busby pitched the idea of the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 ...

. His motivation was to create jobs for locals who were suffering from poverty during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

until other work became available. He also believed that the project would be of interest to the people surrounding the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Mississippi rivers. ...

, and would impact multiple counties along the proposed 450 mile roadway. After its run through Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the project was given $50,000 to survey the Natchez Trace Trail and evaluate the possibility of Busby's Natchez Trace Parkway.

References

External links

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Jeff Busby Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Busby, Thomas Jefferson 1884 births 1964 deaths University of Mississippi School of Law alumni Freed–Hardeman University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi 20th-century American politicians People from Tishomingo County, Mississippi People from Houston, Mississippi