Joseph C. Thomas facts for kids

Joseph C. Thomas, Sr. was born on June 25, 1949. He is an American politician. He has served in the Mississippi Senate. He represented the 21st district from 2004 to 2008. Since 2020, he has represented the 22nd district.

Growing Up and Learning

Joseph Thomas was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He went to N. D. Taylor High School there. Later, he studied at Jackson State University. He earned a degree in business administration.

Joseph Thomas's Career

After college, Joseph Thomas started working at AmSouth Bank. He worked there for 30 years. He became a vice-president before he retired.

In 1980, Governor Ray Mabus chose him for the first Real Estate Appraisal Board in Mississippi. He served on this board until 1985. Later, Governor Ronnie Musgrove asked him to join the Strategic Economic Development and Planning Committee.

Around the same time, he became the chairman for Yazoo City Public Schools. He also chaired the Yazoo City Public Service Commission. As of 2010, he leads the board of Bountiful Blessings Broadcasting, Incorporated. This group runs the local radio station WBBP. He is also a leader for the Friends of Amistad Research Center in New Orleans.

Running for Office

Joseph Thomas first ran for the Mississippi Senate in 2003. He wanted to represent the 21st district. He won the first Democratic primary vote. Then he won the Democratic runoff election. Finally, he won the general election with 70.45% of the votes. He started his term on January 2, 2004.

He ran again in 2007 but did not win the primary election. In 2012, new district maps were drawn. Thomas ran for the 22nd district in 2015. He lost that election.

In 2019, a judge said the district maps needed to be redrawn. This was to make sure all votes counted fairly. With the new maps, he ran again. He won the Democratic primary runoff. Then he won the general election.

Senate Work and Committees

For the 2020-2024 Senate term, Joseph Thomas is a vice-chair. He helps lead the Interstate and Federal Cooperation Committee. He is also a member of many other important committees. These include Business and Financial Institutions, Ethics, Finance, and Insurance.

He has also served on other boards. He was a board member for the American Public Power Association. He also served on the National Development Foundation for Jackson State University. He is currently a board member for the Yazoo County Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is also a senior deacon at Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

Political Views

In March 2020, he supported Joe Biden for president. This was part of the Senate Democratic group.

He voted to change the Mississippi state flag. This change happened in 2020.

Personal Life

Joseph Thomas has three children. He is of the Baptist faith.