Bill Thomas (Alaska politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bill Thomas
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| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 5th district |
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| In office January 10, 2005 – January 14, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Albert Kookesh |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (34th district) Pete B. Higgins (5th district) |
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| Born | June 1, 1947 Haines, Territory of Alaska |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joyce Marie Thomas |
| Children | Jacquelyn, Rhett, Danny, Gabriel, Cole, Rhiannon |
| Residences | Haines, Alaska |
| Alma mater | University of Alaska |
| Profession | Commercial fisherman |
William A. Thomas Jr. (born June 1, 1947) is a businessman, fisherman, and politician from Alaska. He was a member of the Republican Party. Bill Thomas served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013. He represented the 5th District, which included many communities in Southeast Alaska. During his time in the House, he held important leadership roles. He even became a co-chair of the powerful House Finance Committee. In 2012, after new district lines were drawn, he lost his re-election by a very small number of votes.
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About Bill Thomas
Bill Thomas was born in Haines, Alaska, on June 1, 1947. He has lived in Haines and the nearby Chilkat Valley his whole life. His family is from the Tlingit Natives of Klukwan village. He once explained that the "Thomas" part of his name came from California.
Bill Thomas finished high school in Haines in 1965. He then went to the University of Alaska for a short time. After that, he joined the U.S. Army and served for two years. He spent six months in Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War.
His Work as a Fisherman and Business Leader
Around 1970, Bill Thomas started working as a commercial fisherman. He has continued this job ever since. He mainly uses gillnets and longlines to catch fish.
He also became the chairman and CEO of Klukwan, Inc. This is a company owned by his Native village. Because of this role, he served on the boards of many smaller companies that Klukwan, Inc. owns.
Bill Thomas's Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Around 1991, Bill Thomas began working as a lobbyist in Juneau. A lobbyist is someone who tries to convince lawmakers to support certain ideas or groups. He mostly worked for small communities in Southeast Alaska. Before becoming a state lawmaker, he also served on the Haines Borough assembly for four years. The assembly is like a local government council. He also served on the school board for four years.
In 2004, the person representing his area in the Alaska Senate decided not to run again. This opened up a spot in the Alaska House of Representatives. Bill Thomas decided to run for this seat. He said his experience as a lobbyist would help him in the job. He won the election in 2004 by just 59 votes. He was re-elected easily in later years.
Time in the Alaska House of Representatives
Bill Thomas served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2005 to 2013. He was part of the majority group in the House during all his terms. This means his political party had more members, giving them more power.
He held many important roles and led several committees. In his first term (2005-2006), he co-chaired the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee. He also co-chaired the Fisheries Committee. He was also a member of the Education, Military and Veterans' Affairs, and Transportation Committees.
In his second term (2007-2008), he joined the powerful Finance Committee. This committee handles how the state's money is spent. He later became a co-chair of this committee. He also chaired the Administration and Fish & Game committees.
The 2012 Election
Before the 2012 election, the district lines in Alaska were changed. This happened because of an order from the Alaskan Supreme Court. Bill Thomas's district was combined with Juneau, the state capital. Many people in Haines, including the mayor, did not like these new maps. They felt their community was very different from Juneau.
In the 2012 election, Bill Thomas ran against Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Kreiss-Tomkins was a young Democrat from Sitka. The election was extremely close. As votes were counted, the lead kept changing, and at one point, the votes were even tied. After a recount, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins won by only 32 votes.
Images for kids
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Bill Thomas
