Lera Millard Thomas (August 3, 1900 – July 23, 1993) was an American politician who served as

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

in Congress representing the Eighth District of Texas from 1966 to 1967, after the death of her husband, Congressman Albert Thomas. She was the first woman to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. She also founded

Millard's Crossing Historic Village The Millard's Crossing Historic Village is located at 6020 North Street, in the city and county of Nacogdoches, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. History Millard's Crossing Historic Village is a living histo ...

Early life

Thomas was born Lera Millard on August 3, 1900, in

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...

, the daughter of Jesse Waldington and Annie Donnell (née Watkins) Millard. She attended Brenau College in

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of t ...

, and the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

. She married Albert Thomas in 1922, and they had three children: James Nelson, Anne, and Lera. Albert was elected to Congress in 1936, and they lived in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

after that. Lera was a member of the Houston League of Women Voters.

Elected to Congress

On February 15, 1966, her husband died and a special election was called for March 26, 1966 to elect another Representative. Lera Thomas was the first woman elected to Congress from the State of Texas, when she was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the special election to succeed her deceased husband. She received over 74% of the vote against Republican Louis Leman, who urged voters to vote for the Widow Thomas. She served on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee where she supported funds to expand the

Houston Ship Channel The Houston Ship Channel, in Houston, Texas, is part of the Port of Houston, one of the busiest seaports in the world. The channel is the conduit for ocean-going vessels between Houston-area terminals and the Gulf of Mexico, and it serves an incr ...

. Thomas did not stop with the Houston Ship Channel, continuing her husband's work she became vital in the creation of a NASA branch within her district, adjacent to other exiting laboratories. Because he died after filing for office in 1966, Albert Thomas's name remained on the Democratic Primary ballot for the 8th District and his widow determined that she would not seek a full term for 1967. State Representative Bob Eckhardt won the primary for a full term. After serving the remainder of her husband's term, Thomas left Congress on January 3, 1967. After her term in Congress, Mrs. Thomas served as special liaison for the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' to members of the armed services in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Later years

When she returned from Vietnam, Thomas founded Millard's Crossing Historic Village in Nacogdoches. After returning Thomas served on the board of regents at Stephen F. Austin State University for one year, she also became a member of Daughters of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. While living out her life outside of congress Thomas received many awards within her community. Some of these awards being, yellow rose of Texas award in 1977, Ralph W. Steen award in 1979, Texas Governor's Tourist Development Award and the Sons of the Republic of Texas Distinguished Service Award in 1985, chosen as Woman of the Day by the Nacogdoches branch of the American Association of University Women in 1990 and in 1991 she was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International. She resided in Nacogdoches until her death there on July 23, 1993. She was interred in Oak Grove Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Lera Millard 1900 births 1993 deaths People from Houston People from Nacogdoches, Texas Brenau University alumni University of Alabama alumni Female members of the United States House of Representatives Women in Texas politics Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians

Early life

Elected to Congress

Later years

See also

References