Vincent Thomas (basketball Player)
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Vincent Thomas (April 16, 1907 – January 31, 1980) was a Democratic Party politician from
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
who represented San Pedro's 68th and 52nd Districts in the
California Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Neithe ...
from 1941 to 1978.


Childhood and education

Born in
Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...
, Thomas was the third of eight children of Croatian immigrants who came to America in 1903. His family moved from
Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
to
Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...
in 1917, and then to San Pedro in 1919. In 1928, he graduated from
San Pedro High School San Pedro High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District and is located in the San Pedro portion of the city of Los Angeles, California. The school serves the entirety of San Pedro as well as most of the Eastvie ...
. He received a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
from the
University of Santa Clara Santa Clara University is a private university, private Jesuit university in Santa Clara, California, United States. Established in 1851, Santa Clara University is the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The university' ...
in 1932 and attended the University of Santa Clara and
Loyola Law School Loyola Law School is the law school of Loyola Marymount University, a private Jesuit university in Los Angeles, California. Loyola was established in 1920. Academics Degrees offered include the Juris Doctor (JD); Master of Science in Legal ...
s from 1932 to 1936. He worked as a minor
sports coach An athletic coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction, and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''Coach'' is that of a Coach (carriage), horse-drawn carriage, deriving ul ...
and
physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...
instructor while in college. He also played football for Santa Clara. After graduating law school, Thomas did not open his own practice, but found a job in a
fish processing The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...
factory that was owned by Martin J. Bogdanovich, a fellow Croatian from the Island of Vis. While with the factory, Thomas was encouraged to engage himself in politics.


Political career

Thomas entered politics and was successful in his first run for office in 1940, resoundingly defeating Charles M. Smith to become the State Assemblyman for the 68th District representing San Pedro. He also served as
Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
of the Committee on Intergovernmental Relations. Thomas had the longest record of service in the Assembly and was known affectionately as "Dean of the Assembly". In 1974, his district was redrawn as the 52nd Assembly District. Ultimately, he served in the Assembly for 19 consecutive terms, until his first defeat in a re-election bid by Republican candidate Gerald N. Felando in 1978. Thomas also served as the Assembly's minority leader in 1955.


Vincent Thomas Bridge

Originally slated to be called the "San Pedro-Terminal Island Bridge" when construction began in 1960, in 1961 the
California Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
passed Concurrent Resolution 131 naming the
suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...
planned between San Pedro and
Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...
for Thomas in honor of his foresight and untiring work that culminated in its construction. The bridge was dedicated as the
Vincent Thomas Bridge The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a suspension bridge, crossing Los Angeles Harbor in Los Angeles, California, linking San Pedro with Terminal Island. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area. The bridge is part of State ...
and opened to traffic on November 15, 1963. Thomas paid the very first toll, which was then 25 cents.


Death

Thomas died in San Pedro, California in 1980, aged 72.


References


External links

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Vincent Thomas
in
Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...
*
Join California Vincent Thomas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Vincent 1907 births 1980 deaths Politicians from Biloxi, Mississippi American people of Croatian descent Santa Clara University alumni Loyola Law School alumni Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Politicians from Los Angeles 20th-century members of the California State Legislature