Thomas Bacon Fugate (April 10, 1899 – September 22, 1980) was an American businessman, banker, farmer and politician. He served in the

United States representative 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 ...

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 ...

in the Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses. Fugate was elected to Congress as a Democrat.

Early life

Thomas Fugate was born on April 10, 1899, on a farm near Tazewell, in

Claiborne County, Tennessee Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,043. Its county seat is Tazewell and its largest city is Harrogate. History Claiborne County was established on October 29, 18 ...

. He attended public schools before pursuing higher education at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

and

Lincoln Memorial University Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) is a private university in Harrogate, Tennessee and Knoxville, Tennessee. Its Harrogate main campus borders on Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. , it had 1,605 undergraduate and 4,200 graduate and profe ...

. In 1918, he married Lillian Rowlett, a union that produced five children. Soon after, Fugate moved his family to Ewing, Virginia, to pursue his business interests. Like his father, Thomas Fugate's business focused on banking, trade and farming.

Politics and later pursuits

Without being asked, Fugate was nominated as a Democratic candidate for 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 ...

. He served in the House for one term, from 1928 to 1930. After leaving office, Fugate continued to take on a variety of business positions, including president of the Peoples Bank of Ewing, director of the Virginia-Tennessee Farm Bureau, and president of the Ewing Live Stock Company. Fugate's interest in politics remained strong, and in 1945 he was selected as a member of the

Virginia Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

al Convention. He had also become a successful

campaign manager A campaign manager, campaign chairperson, or campaign director is an individual whose role is to coordinate a political campaign's spending, broad tactics, and hiring. They lead operations such as Campaign finance, fundraising, advertising, Opi ...

for local Congressman John Flanagan. When Flanagan decided to retire in 1948, Fugate was selected as the Democratic nominee to replace him. He was subsequently elected to the Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses on behalf of the 9th Virginia district. As a Congressman, Fugate's main achievement was for legislation he sponsored in regard to the operations of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

, for which he received commendations from the army and the United States President. With his banking experience, Fugate also selected to the Banking and Currency Committee and helped to oversee the loans made by the Export-Import Bank. However, Fugate was also accused of being a member of the powerful Byrd political machine. Fugate chose not to stand for a third term in Congress, instead returning to his farming and business interests in Ewing. However, he continued to serve in various high-profile positions, including more than twenty years on the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

for Lincoln Memorial University and as a member of the Virginia Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Committee. Fugate died on September 22, 1980, at the age of 81.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Fryall to Fullenwider
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fugate, Thomas Bacon 1899 births 1980 deaths People from Claiborne County, Tennessee University of Tennessee alumni Lincoln Memorial University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People from Lee County, Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly