Thomas Alva Yon (March 14, 1882 – February 16, 1971) was an American politician and businessman who served three terms in the

United States House of Representatives 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 ...

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 ...

from Florida from 1927 to 1933.

Life

Thomas Alva Yon was born to Higdon Almarin Yon and Laura D. Lockey near

Blountstown, Florida Blountstown is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Florida, Calhoun County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,266. Name Blountstown is named for John Blount, a Creek Indian chief who served ...

on March 14, 1882. At the age of five, his family moved to a farm in

Jackson County, Florida Jackson County is a County (United States), county located in the "Panhandle" of the U.S. state of Florida, on its northwestern border with Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 47,319. Its county seat i ...

. Yon attended rural schools and graduated from Lanier Southern Business College in Macon, Georgia in 1903. He returned to Blountstown in 1903 and engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1906. He engaged as a traveling salesman in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Fl ...

from 1906 to 1927. He served as delegate to the

1920 Democratic National Convention The 1920 Democratic National Convention was held at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California from June 28 to July 6, 1920. It resulted in the nomination of Governor James M. Cox of Ohio for president and Assistant Secretary of the Na ...

Congress

Yon was elected as a

to the United States House of Representatives in the 1926 elections, and was twice re-elected, serving from March 4, 1927 to March 4, 1933, in the 70th, 71st, and 72nd Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. He was a supporter of the building of

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United Sta ...

. During the 1932 Democratic Party presidential primaries he supported Governor

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

for the nomination.

Later career

Yon served as a special and commercial agent in the

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce The Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce (BFDC) was a bureau in the United States Department of Commerce and Labor from 1912-1953 that conducted statistical analysis, promoted trade and industry. Organizational History The BFDC was establishe ...

of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business and governmental decision making, establishing industrial standards, catalyzing econ ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

from 1933 to 1940. He served as assistant investigator in the Division of Investigation of the

General Accounting Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the sup ...

from 1941 until his retirement in January 1946.

Retirement and death

Yon engaged in development and sale of his Florida real estate holdings after retirement. On February 16, 1971 Yon died in

in 1971, and was interred in Oakland Cemetery.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yon, Tom 1882 births 1971 deaths Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida People from Blountstown, Florida People from Jackson County, Florida 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives