Thomas Erby Kilby Sr. (July 9, 1865 – October 22, 1943) was an American politician. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Alabama and the 36th governor of Alabama.

Biography

Kilby was born in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

, and was educated in public schools. In 1887, he was an agent for the Georgia-Pacific Railroad in Anniston, Alabama. He became a successful businessman in the industrial and banking business.

Career

He was a Democratic politician and served as mayor of Anniston, Alabama from 1905 to 1909. He served as Alabama State Senator from 1911 to 1915. Kilby served as Lieutenant Governor of Alabama from 1915 to 1919, and as Governor of Alabama from 1919 to 1923 In September 1919 two Black men Miles Phifer and Robert Crosky were arrested over allegations they assaulted two white women in separate incidents in Montgomery, Alabama. A mob quickly formed and a concerned citizen notified Governor Thomas Kilby that there might be a lynching. Kilby ordered the two to be transferred to the relative safety of prison in Wetumpka, Alabama but they were intercepted and lynched by a White Mob on September 29, 1919. In 1920, Kilby arbitrated the settlement of the lengthy and violent

1920 Alabama coal strike The 1920 Alabama coal strike, or the Alabama miners' strike, was a statewide strike of the United Mine Workers of America against coal mine operators. The strike was marked by racial violence, and ended in significant defeat for the union and org ...

, ruling clearly against the demands of the

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...

. The Child Welfare Department was created in 1919 during Kilby's governorship.

Family life

Kilby married Mary Elizabeth Clark on June 5, 1894. They had three children.

Kilby House Kilby House, at 1301 Woodstock Ave. in Anniston, Alabama, was built in 1914. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is a large two-and-a-half-story Georgian Revival-style house with a hipped roof. It "is distingui ...

, their home in Anniston, Alabama, was built for Kilby while he was Lieutenant Governor. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Death and legacy

Kilby died on October 22, 1943, in Anniston, Alabama at the age of 78. He is buried at Highland Cemetery in Anniston. In 1921, he was depicted on the

Alabama Centennial half dollar The Alabama Centennial half dollar, or Alabama half dollar, was a commemorative fifty-cent coin struck by the United States Bureau of the Mint in 1921 as a belated acknowledgement of the 100th anniversary of Alabama's admission to the Union in ...

, making him the first person ever to appear on a US coin while still alive. The old Kilby Prison and the current

Kilby Correctional Facility Kilby Correctional Facility is an Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) prison for the state of Alabama, located in Mt. Meigs, Alabama, Mt. Meigs, an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Alabama, with a capacity to house over 1,400 inmate ...

are both named for Thomas Kilby.

References

External links