Background
He was born in Marion County, Kentucky as one of four children of Francis Xavier Thomas I and Mary Isabelle Hill.
basketball coach lobbyist politician
He was born in Marion County, Kentucky as one of four children of Francis Xavier Thomas I and Mary Isabelle Hill.
Thomas graduated from Roman Catholic Saint Augustine High School in Lebanon and then the University of Kentucky at Lexington.
Thomas married Marian Tong (born ca 1933) of Lebanon. In addition to his classroom duties, Thomas was a basketball coach at Saint Francis High School in Loretto in Marion County. He coached football and baseball at Saint Charles Middle School in Lebanon.
He also coached the Babe Ruth community league in Lebanon.
Thomas served in the United States Army"s 24th Infantry Division during and after World World War World War II As part of the post-War occupation of Japan the 24th Infantry Division was based at Sendai, Japan. While there, Thomas coached the basketball team in his camp, winning runners-up status in the Far East Command Olympic Games trial competition.
On November 4, 1969, Thomas lost the general election for the District 29 seat in the Kentucky House to the Republican Herman West. Rattliff (born 1926), a businessman from Campbellsville, the seat of Taylor County in central Kentucky. Thomas and Rattliff were thereafter House colleagues until each retired at the same time.
During his legislative service, he was the chairman for eight years of the Business Organizations and Professions Committee.
After his seventeen legislative years, Thomas spent another eighteen years as a lobbyist at the Kentucky state capital in Frankfort. Among his clients were Wine and Spirits Wholesales of Kentucky, Incorporated., of Louisville. Thomas died at age 82.