Richard C. Thomas (May 3, 1937—November 2, 1991) was a politician and government official who served four terms as Secretary of State of Vermont.

Early life

Richard Clark Thomas was born in

Washburn, Maine Washburn is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It was incorporated on February 25, 1861, and named after Israel Washburn, the governor of Maine at the time. The population was 1,527 at the 2020 census. Benjamin C. Wilder House ...

on May 3, 1937. He was raised in

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

, and was a graduate of

Rutland High School Rutland High School is a senior high school located in Rutland, Vermont, and attended by students in grades 9-12. It has been located on Stratton Road since 1994. Prior to 1994 Rutland High School was located on Library Avenue (current Rutland Int ...

. Thomas graduated from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

in 1959. He completed the

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

program, and served as an officer in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

; he was a member of the

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

branch, and attained the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Thomas attended Georgetown University Law Center for a year, and was a reporter and writer for the F. W. Dodge Corporation from 1960 to 1963. From 1963 to 1965 he worked on the staff of Senator

Winston L. Prouty Winston Lewis Prouty (September 1, 1906September 10, 1971) was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Vermont from 1959 until his death. He was previously a member of the United State ...

as a research assistant, campaign coordinator, and press secretary. Thomas was executive director of the Vermont Republican Party from 1965 to 1968. In 1968 he was appointed first assistant clerk of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

Secretary of state

In 1968, Thomas was the successful Republican nominee for Secretary of State of Vermont. He was reelected three times, and served from January 1969 to January 1977. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a fifth term in 1976, and was defeated by

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 ...

James A. Guest.

Later career

After leaving office, Thomas was a resident of

Woodbridge, Virginia Woodbridge is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince William County, Virginia, United States, located south of Washington, D.C.. Bounded by the Occoquan and Potomac rivers, Woodbridge had 44,668 residents at the 2020 census. Woodbridge o ...

and was employed as the state liaison for the Federal Election Commission. At the FEC, he was responsible for coordinating the agency's work with state and local election officials. In addition, he oversaw compilation of the FEC's annual Combined Federal and State Disclosure Directory, as well as reports on the results of federal elections.

Death

Thomas died of throat cancer in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is included in the Wash ...

on November 2, 1991.

Family

Thomas was married to Patricia L. McGlynn. They were the parents of a son, Richard, and two daughters, Lisa and Leslie.

References

Sources

Newspaper

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Internet

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Magazines

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Richard C. 1937 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American politicians People from Aroostook County, Maine People from Rutland (city), Vermont Middlebury College alumni United States Army officers Vermont Republicans Secretaries of State of Vermont Deaths from throat cancer Deaths from cancer in Virginia