Joseph C. Thomas facts for kids

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

Early Life and Education

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

Career and Public Service

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

He also held several important public service roles:

• In 1980, Governor Ray Mabus chose him to be on Mississippi's first Real Estate Appraisal Board. He served on this board until 1985.
• Later, Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed him to the Strategic Economic Development and Planning Committee.
• He also became the chairman of the Yazoo City Public Schools.
• He was chairman of the Yazoo City Public Service Commission.

As of 2010, he is the chairman of the board for Bountiful Blessings Broadcasting, Incorporated. This company runs the local radio station WBBP. He is also an executive vice president and treasurer for the Friends of Amistad Research Center. This center is located at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Political Journey

Thomas first ran for the Mississippi Senate in 2003. He wanted to represent the 21st district. He won the Democratic primary election. Then he won the runoff election and the main election. He started his term on January 2, 2004.

He tried to get re-elected in 2007 but did not win the Democratic primary. In 2012, the legislative districts were redrawn. Thomas ran for the 22nd district in 2015 but lost that election.

In early 2019, a judge ruled that the 22nd district needed to be redrawn again. The judge said the old district made it harder for Black voters to have their voices heard. With the new district lines, Thomas ran again. He won the Democratic primary, the runoff, and the general election. He began serving the 22nd district in 2020.

Senate Committees and Roles

For the Senate term from 2020 to 2024, Joseph Thomas holds important positions. He is the vice-chair for the Interstate and Federal Cooperation Committee. He is also a member of several other committees:

• Business and Financial Institutions
• Drug Policy
• Ethics
• Finance
• Forestry
• Insurance
• Judiciary, Division B
• State Library

He has also served on other boards and committees. These include the American Public Power Association and the National Development Foundation for Jackson State University. He was also a member of the Yazoo County Fair and the Education Committee for the Southern Conference of State Legislators.

Currently, he is a board member for the Yazoo County Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is also the vice president for the D.W. Wilburn Scholarship Foundation. He serves as the senior deacon for Chapel Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

Key Political Views

In March 2020, as part of the Senate Democratic group, he supported Joe Biden for president. He also voted to change the Mississippi state flag. The flag was changed in 2020.

Personal Life

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