Thomas Wharton Phillips (February 23, 1835 – July 21, 1912) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

Early life

Phillips was born near

Mount Jackson, Pennsylvania Mount Jackson is a small village in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,070. The county seat and largest city is New Castle. The cou ...

, in that section of

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver, and its largest city is Aliquippa. The county is part of the Greater Pittsburgh region of the commonw ...

, now included in

Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,070. The county seat and largest city is New Castle. The county was created on March 20, 1849, from parts of Beaver and Mercer cou ...

. He was the son of Ephram Phillips (1795–1835) and Ann Phillips (1796–1866). Phillips is a descendent of the Reverend George Phillips. He attended the common schools and was also privately instructed.

Career

He engaged in the production of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

, and served as president of the Producers’ Protective Association from 1887 to 1890. He was president of the Citizens’ National Bank of

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Shenango River at the mouth of Neshannock Creek, it is northwest of Pittsburgh near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, approximately so ...

, and a member of the board of trustees of Bethany College,

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

, and of

Hiram College Hiram College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonse ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. Phillips was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses. He was the Chairman of the United States House Committee on Labor during the Fifty-fourth Congress. He did not seek renomination in 1896. He resumed his former pursuits, and was appointed a member of the United States Industrial Commission by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

and served until its dissolution. He was a 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. In 1906, Phillips was approached by his friend, Dr. Ely Zollars, for help in establishing a bible college in what was then the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...

. Mr. Phillips agreed to pay Dr. Zollars salary for one year while his friend sought to secure a location for the school. Phillips became a long time benefactor of the school which was initially called Oklahoma Christian University.

Personal life

Phillips was twice married. His first marriage was in 1862 to Clarinda Hardman (1837–1866), the daughter of David Hardman and Nancy Rebecca (née Arter) Hardman. Together, they were the parents of: * Herbert Clyde Phillips (1864–1912), who married Idell Houghton in 1894. * Norman Arter Phillips (1865–1893), a banker. After the death of his first wife, he remarried in 1871 to his late wife's younger sister, Pamphila Hardman (1844–1933). Together, they were the parents of: * Victor Karl Phillips (1872–1901), who married Mary Mayme Lusk in 1898. * Thomas Wharton Phillips Jr. (1874–1956), also a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. * Benjamin D. Phillips (1885–1968), who served as a member of the board of Citizens National Bank for 50 years. He married Undine Conant, and after her death, Mildred Welshimer. Phillips died in New Castle on July 21, 1912. He was buried in Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

Upon Phillips' death the trustees voted to change the name of the school to

Phillips University Phillips University was a private university in Enid, Oklahoma. It opened in 1906 and closed in 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary. The university ...

in his honor. The university closed in 1998, but

Phillips Theological Seminary Phillips Theological Seminary is a private seminary affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was established in 1906 and was originally a part of the now defunct Phillips University. History T ...

which separated from the university in 1987, continues to exist as of 2016.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Thomas W. 1835 births 1912 deaths Hiram College Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania American bank presidents 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives