Mary V. Thomas (April 29, 1944 – August 21, 2014) was an American

Pima Pima or PIMA may refer to: People * Pima people, the Akimel O'odham, Indigenous peoples in Arizona (U.S.) and Sonora (Mexico) Places * Pima, Arizona, a town in Graham County * Pima County, Arizona * Pima Canyon, in the Santa Catalina Mountains ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and activist. Thomas was the first woman to serve as the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the Gila River Indian Community, an office she held from 1994 to 2000. She also served as

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of Gila River Indian Community for two tenures: The first term from 1990 to 1994, prior to becoming governor, and a second term beginning in 2003. An active participant in tribal politics, Thomas was also an activist on issues of importance to Native American communities, including

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

, water rights, and

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

Biography

Early life

Thomas, a member of the

Pima people The Pima (or Akimel O'odham, also spelled Akimel Oʼotham, "River People," formerly known as ''Pima'') are a group of Native Americans living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona, as well as northwestern Mexico in ...

, was born Mary Smith in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, on April 29, 1944. Her parents were Elwood Dennis and Elizabeth Smith. She was raised in Sacaton, Arizona, in an adobe home, which her father had constructed, which lacked

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

until she was a teen. In a 1998

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

with ''

The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. Copies are sold at $2 daily or at $3 ...

'', Thomas recalled her early life without electricity or indoor plumbing, saying "It was a way of life...We accepted it." She attended both

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union High School and Junio ...

and Central Arizona College after high school. She then worked a variety of jobs after college, including mortuary assistant,

bus driver A bus driver, bus operator, or bus captain is a person who drives buses for a living. Description Bus drivers must have a special license above and beyond a regular driver's licence. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus sta ...

and teacher's aide. She married her husband, George Thomas, in 1968.

Political career

Mary Thomas had previously served on the Gila River council during the 1980s. In 1990, Gila River Governor Thomas White asked her to run for

as his running mate. Both won election. In 1994, White declined to seek re-election and encouraged Lt. Governor Mary Thomas to run for governor. She won election and became the first woman to serve as Governor of the Gila River Indian Community. Thomas was a strong proponent of utilizing casino gaming as a tool to alleviate poverty and unemployment. The Gila River's first casino opened in 1994. Thomas soon appeared in a series of

television commercial A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s aimed at persuading Gila River members that profits from the casinos would be used to improve basic services and the quality of life. According to ''The Arizona Republic'', Thomas soon became "known as the face of Indian casinos." In a speech given at the opening of the new casino in 1994, Thomas told attendees, "We don't have many of the simple things, like

clean water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

and indoor plumbing, that many communities take for granted...Can you imagine having one

fire engine A fire engine (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an i ...

for this whole reservation?" Under Governor Thomas, the Gila River Indian Community established its own, independent police and fire departments. She also oversaw plans to build a new hospital on the reservation. Her two terms were not without some political disputes. Thomas survived an effort to

recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning * Recall (memory) * ''Recall'' (Overwatch ...

her from office in 1998. Thomas left office in 2000. She ran as a candidate for the

Arizona House of Representatives The Arizona State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. The upper house is the Senate. The House convenes in the legislative chambers at the Arizona State C ...

in 2000, but lost the election. Thomas was frequently mentioned as a potential candidate for the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

within political circles in Arizona and Washington D.C. during the 2000s. However, she returned her focus back to the Gila River Indian Community and tribal issues. She was elected Lieutenant Governor of Gila River Indian Community in 2003 for her second, non-consecutive term in that office (She had previously served as Lt. Governor from 1990 to 1994). She unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Gila River Indian Community in 2011. The

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

honored Thomas by adding her to the school's Women's Plaza of Honor in April 2012. Mary Thomas died from an undisclosed illness at Chandler Regional Medical Center in

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the ...

, on August 21, 2014, at the age of 70. A widow, Thomas was a resident of Sacaton, Arizona.

References

External links

Past Governors of the Gila River Indian Community
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Mary 1944 births 2014 deaths Governors of the Gila River Indian Community Native American activists Native American women in politics Women in Arizona politics Akimel O'odham people People from Pinal County, Arizona 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American politicians 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women Native American people from Arizona