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 on June 1, 1947, is a well-known businessman, fisherman, and politician from Alaska. He was a member of the Republican Party. From 2005 to 2013, Thomas served in the Alaska House of Representatives. He represented the 5th District, which included many small towns across Southeast Alaska and even reached Prince William Sound.
During his time in the House, Bill Thomas was always part of the majority group. He held important leadership roles, including co-chairing the powerful House Finance Committee. In 2012, after new district lines were drawn, Thomas lost his re-election bid. He was defeated by just 32 votes by Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a 23-year-old who was new to politics.
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Early Life and Background
William A. Thomas Jr. was born in Haines, which was then called the Territory of Alaska, on June 1, 1947. He has lived his whole life in Haines and the nearby Chilkat Valley. Bill Thomas is a descendant of the Tlingit Native community from the village of Klukwan. He once shared that his "Thomas" family name came from California.
Bill Thomas finished high school at Haines High School in 1965. After that, he briefly attended the University of Alaska. He then joined the U.S. Army and served for two years. During his time in the Army, he spent six months in Vietnam in 1968, during the Vietnam War.
Working as a Fisherman and Businessman
Around 1970, Bill Thomas started working as a commercial fisherman. He has continued this work ever since. He mainly uses fishing methods called gillnets and longlines to catch fish.
Thomas also became the chairman and CEO of Klukwan, Inc. This is a Native corporation for his village. Because of this role, Thomas served on the boards of many companies that belonged to the corporation.
Starting in Politics
Bill Thomas began working as a lobbyist in Juneau around 1991. A lobbyist is someone who tries to influence lawmakers on behalf of a group or community. He mostly represented the interests of small towns in Southeast Alaska. Before becoming a state representative, he also spent four years on the Haines Borough assembly, which is like a local government council. He also served four years on the school board.
In 2004, the person representing District C in the Alaska Senate, Democrat Georgianna Lincoln, decided not to run again. Albert Kookesh, who was the representative for the 5th District in the Alaska House of Representatives, decided to run for the Senate instead. He won that election. This opened up the 5th District House seat.
Bill Thomas decided to run for this open seat. He felt his experience as a lobbyist would be helpful for the job. In 2004, Thomas won the election by 59 votes. He defeated Tim June, another commercial fisherman from Haines. Thomas was easily re-elected in later years, including beating June again in 2008.
Time in the Alaska House of Representatives
During his time in the 24th Alaska State Legislature, Bill Thomas held important leadership roles. He was a co-chair of the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee. He also co-chaired the Fisheries Committee. In addition, he served on committees for Education, Military and Veterans' Affairs, and Transportation.
From 2007 to 2008, he was a member of the Finance Committee. He also chaired the Administration Committee and the Fish & Game Committee. Later, he became a co-chair of the main Finance Committee. He was also a member of the Legislative Budget & Audit Committee. For the 27th Legislature, he chaired the Governor and the Legislature Finance Subcommittees.
The 2012 Election and New Districts
Before the 2012 election, the district lines in Alaska were changed. This happened because of an order from the Alaskan Supreme Court. These changes greatly affected the Southeast region, including Bill Thomas's district. The new plan combined the 5th District with Juneau, which is the state capital.
Many people from Haines Borough did not like the new map. The mayor of Haines, Stephanie Scott, said that their town did not have the same needs or concerns as the Mendenhall Valley area of Juneau. In this election, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins from Sitka ran against Thomas as the Democratic candidate.
After the votes were counted and even recounted, Kreiss-Tomkins defeated Thomas by just 32 votes. During the ballot counting, the lead went back and forth, and at one point, the votes were even tied.
