![LeroyThoman](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/LeroyThoman.jpg)
Leroy Delano Thoman (July 31, 1851 – April 19, 1909) was an American judge and civil service commissioner.
Thoman was born in
Salem, Ohio
Salem is the largest city in Columbiana County, Ohio, with a small district in southern Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 11,915. It is the principal city of the Salem micropolitan area in Northeast Ohio. It is 18 ...
, July 31, 1851.
He was educated in the
common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...
s and became a teacher at the age of sixteen.
After five years of teaching, he studied the law and was admitted to the bar.
[ Shortly thereafter, Thoman was appointed Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the Ninth Judicial District of ]Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
.[ In January 1873, he resigned his position and moved to ]Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...
to practice law there, forming a partnership with Isaac A. Justice.[ In 1875, he was elected county judge of ]Mahoning County
Mahoning County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown. The county is named for a Lenape word meaning "at the licks" or "there is a lick", refe ...
, and remained on the bench for six years. In 1876, he married Mary E. Cripps, but she died that same year.[
Thoman became involved with Democratic politics in Ohio and, in 1880, presided over the party's state convention.][ That same year, he ran for Congress in ]Ohio's 17th congressional district
The 17th congressional district of Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of ...
against William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
, but was unsuccessful.[ He retired from the bench in 1882 and resumed his law practice, representing the ]Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad
The Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE) , also known as the "Little Giant", was formed on May 11, 1875. Company headquarters were located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The line connected Pittsburgh in the east with Youngstown, Ohio in the H ...
. The next year, after the passage of the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act is a United States federal law passed by the 47th United States Congress and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on January 16, 1883. The act mandates that most positions within the federal govern ...
, President Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 21st president of the United States from 1881 to 1885. He previously served as the 20th vice president under President James ...
nominated Thoman to be one of three members of the United States Civil Service Commission
The United States Civil Service Commission was a government agency of the federal government of the United States and was created to select employees of federal government on merit rather than relationships. In 1979, it was dissolved as part of t ...
. He served in that office until 1885. In 1887, he moved to Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and worked to bring the World's Fair
A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...
there.[ Thoman married again to Florence B. Smith in 1892.][ They had one daughter, Dorothy, born in 1893. Thoman died at his home in ]Evanston, Illinois
Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...
, in 1909.[
]
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thoman, Leroy D.
1851 births
1909 deaths
Ohio lawyers
Civil service reform in the United States
People from Salem, Ohio
Ohio Democrats