Thomas Calloway Lea Jr. (October 29, 1877 – August 2, 1945) was a prominent American attorney from El Paso, Texas, and mayor of that city from 1915 to 1917.

Biography

Lea was born in Independence, Missouri, to Thomas Calloway and Amanda Rose Lea. His father, Thomas Calloway Sr., was county surveyor (commissioner) for Jackson County from 1870 to 1880 (a position that Harry S. Truman held from 1925 to 1933), then was deputy surveyor until his death on April 20, 1910.Historical Overview of 19th Century Stone Culverts: Longview Road
''Architectural and Historical Research''. Retrieved: 2008-07-06 His grandfather, Dr. Pleasant John Graves Lea (also grandfather of

Homer Lea Homer Lea (November 17, 1876 – November 1, 1912) was an American adventurer, author and geopolitical strategist. He is today best known for his involvement with Chinese reform and revolutionary movements in the early twentieth century and as ...

, author of ''The Vermilion Pencil: A Romance of China''), is the namesake for

Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city located within the counties of Jackson (primarily) and Cass in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2020 census its population was 101,108, making it the sixth-largest city in bo ...

, although the name became spelled with an "e" instead of "a" because a stone culvert next to the

Missouri Pacific Railroad The Missouri Pacific Railroad , commonly abbreviated as MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers. In 1967, the railroad ...

station was set this way. Homer Lea was appointed military advisory to

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

, the leader of the Chinese Republic. Lea received an LL.B. degree in 1898 from Kansas City Law School. Lea began his law practice in 1904 and was soon appointed police-court judge. On June 29, 1906, he married Zola May Utt, and the couple had three sons, including the noted artist and writer Tom Lea III. Thomas Jr. volunteered for both the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cl ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

(Homer Lea also wanted to join the Army with Thomas, but because of his medical condition was not accepted), and during the former he went to

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Repres ...

, in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, Texas, for officers' training school. After the end of his service in the Spanish–American War, he decided to stay in Texas, moving to El Paso.Antone, Evan Haywood
Lea, Thomas Calloway Jr.
''

Handbook of Texas The ''Handbook of Texas'' is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). History The original ''Handbook'' was the brainchild of TSHA President ...

''. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved: 2008-01-23 Lea became a renowned criminal lawyer in the city, and with his partner, R. Ewing Thomason, developed acclaim for their use of dramatic emotionalism in the courtroom. In April, 1911, he presided over the hearing of community activist Lázaro Gutiérrez de Lara.Romo, David Dorado, (2005). ''Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juárez: 1893–1923''. Cinco Puntos Press. p. 69. For some time, Lea served as the official attorney for former Mexican president

Victoriano Huerta José Victoriano Huerta Márquez (; 22 December 1854 – 13 January 1916) was a general in the Mexican Federal Army and 39th President of Mexico, who came to power by coup against the democratically elected government of Francisco I. Madero w ...

.Romo, David Dorado, (2005). ''Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juárez: 1893–1923''. Cinco Puntos Press. p. 231. Kohout, Martin Donell
Huerta, Victoriano
– ''

''. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved: 2008-07-04 Lea's administration passed the first U.S. law banning Mexican hemp because of its association with Mexican revolutionaries. Lea and Thomason decided to enter politics, and took on two more partners, J. G. McGrady and Eugene T. Edwards. Lea was elected mayor (defeating incumbent Charles E. "Henry" Kelly), and Thomason was elected to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

in 1916. Harry S. Truman later appointed Thomason as a federal district judge. As mayor, Lea made a public declaration, after

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

raided

Columbus, New Mexico Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States, about north of the Mexican border. It is considered a place of historical interest, as the scene of a 1916 attack by Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa that ca ...

, on March 9, 1916, that he would arrest Villa if he dared enter El Paso. Villa then responded by offering a thousand pesos worth of gold bounty on Lea. The Lea children had to have a police escort to and from school. In 1936, Zola May died of cancer, and Lea remarried on May 20, 1939, to Mexican-born Rosario Partida Archer (née Partida). Thomas Calloway Lea Jr. died in El Paso at Southwestern General Hospital, of a heart attack, on August 2, 1945. Lea was a 40-year member of the

State Bar of Texas The State Bar of Texas (the Texas Bar) is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court. It is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in T ...

, and a Mason.

Recognition

* Thomas C. Lea Park in El Paso

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lea, Thomas Calloway 1877 births 1945 deaths Politicians from Independence, Missouri Mayors of El Paso, Texas Texas Democrats