Thomas Alberter Chandler (July 26, 1871 – June 22, 1953) was an American politician and a

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

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Biography

Born near Eucha, Delaware County,

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

(now Oklahoma), Chandler was the son of Burges G. and Annie Gunter Chandler. He attended the

public schools Public school may refer to: *Public school (government-funded), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging private schools in England and Wales *Great Public Schools, ...

Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a co-ed private boarding school in Worcester, Massachusetts serving grades 6-12. It is the oldest school founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducation ...

, Vinita, Indian Territory, in 1888, and, later,

Drury College Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,590 undergr ...

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. In 1894 he married Marie L. Wainwright, and they had two children, Norma Louise and Collis.

Career

Chandler was appointed a Cherokee revenue collector in 1891. Served as a Cherokee town-site Commissioner from 1895 to 1898 and United States deputy clerk of the court for the northern district of Indian Territory from 1900 to 1907. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

in 1907 and commenced practice in Vinita, Indian Territory. He served as delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

in 1908. He was member of the first Board of Public Affairs for the State of Oklahoma in 1909 and 1910. He resumed the practice of law, and also engaged in the production of oil, in agricultural pursuits, and in the real estate business. Elected as a Republican to the

65th Congress The 65th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1917, ...

, Chandler served from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1919. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1918 to the 66th Congress, but was elected to the

67th Congress The 67th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 19 ...

, and served from March 4, 1921, to March 3, 1923. Again an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 to the 68th Congress, he resumed the practice of law. In 1927, he was convicted of fraud in federal court with six co-defendants.

Death

Chandler died in Vinita, Craig County, Oklahoma, on June 22, 1953 (age 81 years, 331 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and object ...

at Fairview Cemetery in Vinita.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Chandler, ThomasThomas A. Chandler Collection
at the

Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and informe ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chandler, Thomas Alberter 1871 births 1953 deaths People from Vinita, Oklahoma Oklahoma lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives