Thomas Jefferson Steed (March 2, 1904 – June 8, 1983) was an American politician and a

U.S. Congressman 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 ...

Early life

Steed was born on a farm near in

Eastland County, Texas Eastland County is a County (United States), county located in central West Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 17,725. The county seat is Eastland, Texas, Eastland. The county was founded in 1858 an ...

(near

Rising Star, Texas Rising Star is a town in Eastland County, Texas, United States. Its population as of the 2020 census was 756. Geography Rising Star is located in southwestern Eastland County. U.S. Route 183 passes through the town, leading north to Cisco and ...

) on March 2, 1904. His family later moved to Oklahoma, where he attended school (in

Konawa, Oklahoma Konawa is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,288 at the time of the 2020 census. ''Konawa'' is a Seminole word meaning, "string of beads." References External links ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & ...

). After only one semester of high school, he began working for the ''Ada Evening News''. He married Hazel Bennett in 1923, and they had two children, Roger and Richard. Roger was a Marine second lieutenant and fighter pilot and was killed in China in 1947.

Career

Continuing to work in journalism, Steed worked for a number of Oklahoma newspapers including the ''Daily Oklahoman''. Beginning in 1935 he served as an assistant to three of Oklahoma's U.S. congressmen, Percy Lee Gassaway,

Robert P. Hill Robert Potter Hill (April 18, 1874 – October 29, 1937) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from Illinois and from Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Centra ...

, and Gomer Griffith Smith. In 1938 he returned to Oklahoma and became managing editor of the ''

Shawnee News-Star ''The Shawnee News-Star'' is an American daily newspaper published in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It is the newspaper of record for Pottawatomie, Lincoln and Seminole counties, in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. History The newspaper took its cu ...

''.

Military service

After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Steed enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

on October 29, 1942, and was assigned to the

Anti-aircraft Artillery Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

. Steed was released from

active duty Active duty, in contrast to reserve duty, is a full-time occupation as part of a military force. Indian The Indian Armed Forces are considered to be one of the largest active service forces in the world, with almost 1.42 million Active Standin ...

in May 1944 with

rank A rank is a position in a hierarchy. It can be formally recognized—for example, cardinal, chief executive officer, general, professor—or unofficial. People Formal ranks * Academic rank * Corporate title * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy ...

of Second Lieutenant. Steed continued his contribution to the U.S. war effort when he joined the

Office of War Information The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...

on July 1, 1944. Steed also served with the information division in India-Burma Theater until December 1945. He often stated that his experience in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

, the military and in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

had taught him "knowledge is power".

Political career

Steed ran for

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1948 and was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, taking office on January 3, 1949. He was re-elected in 1950, and was continuously re-elected until 1980, when he decided to retire. (That year, he also received one vote for president at the

1980 Democratic National Convention The 1980 Democratic National Convention nominated President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale for reelection. The convention was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City from August 11 to August 14, 1980. The 1980 convention ...

.) Steed's final congressional race in 1978 was successful although he faced a spirited challenge in the Democratic primary election from M.E. "Cuffie" Waid, a popular Lawton

optometrist Optometry is the healthcare practice concerned with examining the eyes for visual defects, prescribing corrective lenses, and detecting eye abnormalities. In the United States and Canada, optometrists are those that hold a post-baccalaureate f ...

and

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

leader. He served a total of 32 years in Congress, longer than any other Oklahoman in Congress at the time, and left office on January 3, 1981. While in Congress, he sat on the Education and Labor, Public Works, Appropriations, and Small Business committees, briefly chairing this last committee during the Ninety-fourth Congress. He also served as chair of the Subcommittee on the Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government and of the Subcommittee on Taxation and Oil Imports. Steed did not sign the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

, and voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

, but not the

Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a Lists of landmark court decisions, landmark law in the United States signed into law by President of the United States, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles ...

Accomplishments in office

According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Steed's accomplishments while serving in Congress included: *Conducting hearings on price wars affecting the dairy and retail petroleum industries; *Cosponsored the Upstream Conservation Act, enacted in 1954; *Joined with Sen. Robert S. Kerr to realize the Arkansas River Navigation System; *Cosponsored the 1956 Library Services Act, which established the bookmobile system; *Brought the Postal Service Institute to

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

in 1968; *Helped obtain funds for the education center at

Rose State College Rose State College is a public community college in Midwest City, Oklahoma. History Rose State College was originally named Oscar Rose Junior CollegeBritton, Terry D.,Rose State College" Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture' (accessed Ma ...

and the Gordon Cooper Vocational Education School in Shawnee.Kosmerick, Todd J. "Steed, Thomas Jefferson (1904–1983)." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed July 30, 2016.

Death and legacy

Steed returned to Oklahoma and resided in

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

, where he remained until his death on June 8, 1983 (age 79 years, 98 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 Resthaven Cemetery in Shawnee, Oklahoma. After his death, a portion of

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

near Shawnee was renamed the "Tom Steed Memorial Highway." Tom Steed Reservoir near Mountain Park is also named after him.

References

External links

Tom Steed at Biographical Directory of the U.S. CongressTom Steed Collection
an
Photograph Series
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:Steed, Tom 1904 births 1983 deaths 20th-century American newspaper editors People from Eastland County, Texas People from Konawa, Oklahoma People from Shawnee, Oklahoma United States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma Journalists from Oklahoma Journalists from Texas People of the United States Office of War Information American male journalists United States Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Texas 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives