Jerry Thomas (politician)
Jerry Thomas (April 30, 1929 - July 29, 1980) was a banker and state legislator in Florida who served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, including two years as President of the Florida Senate.[1]
Biography[edit]
He was born April 30, 1929 in West Palm Beach in Florida.[2] He graduated from Palm Beach High School in 1946, then went to Palm Beach Junior College before going to Florida State University to get his degree.[2]
Thomas volunteered for military service in 1952 during the Korean War.[2] He served as a logistics teacher in the U. S. Marine Corps retiring in 1954 at the rank of captain.[3]
At the age of 27 he helped establish a bank holding company which he turned into a multi-million dollar corporation.[4] He was made the director of the Florida Securities Commission in 1957.[3] In 1963 he formed First Marine Bank where he was an associate until he quit due to health reasons in 1980.[4]
Thomas was first elected to serve in the Florida House of Representatives. He served from 1960 for 4 years.[5] He then served in the Florida Senate for eight years.[3] While in the senate he was President of the Florida Senate for two years.[4] During his service he authored and co-sponsored hundreds of laws.[5] He was a Democrat but he swapped to the Republican Party in 1974.[5]
He ran for the position of Governor of Florida as the Republican candidate in the 1974 Florida gubernatorial election, but lost to the Democrat Reubin Askew.[3] He served as undersecretary in the Gerald Ford Administration Treasury,[3] but quit after just 6 months saying "I'm going back home to earn enough money to pay taxes to pay for some of this colossal waste I've seen up here".[4]
Thomas died July 29, 1980 at home from cancer aged 51.[2] He had had a tumor removed from his stomach a few months earlier.[2] He was survived by his wife and five children.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Colleagues Pay Final Tribute to Jerry Thomas". The Palm Beach Post. 29 September 1980. p. 19. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f "1st Marine's Thomas Dies From Cancer". The Palm Beach Post. 30 July 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Jerry Thomas, 1929-1980". The Palm Beach Post. 30 July 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Illness Forces Jerry Thomas To Quit 1st Marine Bank Post". The Miami Herald. 11 March 1980. p. 183. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Jerry Thomas Death: Reaction". The Palm Beach Post. 30 July 1980. p. 8. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
