Thomas Jefferson Lilly (June 3, 1878 – April 2, 1956) represented West Virginia in the

Sixty-eighth United States Congress The 68th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923, ...

. He was the son of Joseph L Lilly and Martha Jane Cox. Thomas Lilly had a long career of service for his community and country. He was born in Dunns, West Virginia in Mercer County and began teaching in the rural schools of Mercer County while also tending to the family farm. He was elected Justice of the Peace and served from 1902 to 1906. After completing his term, he attended McKinley University in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, graduating with a degree in Law in 1911. He was admitted to the bar in West Virginia the same year and started practicing in

Hinton, West Virginia Hinton is a city in Summers County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,266 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Summers County. Hinton was established in 1873 and chartered in 1897. Hinton was named after John "Jack" Hin ...

. After spending a few years practicing law, he went back to working for the local government as both the State Commissioner of Accounts (1914–1927) and the Divorce Commissioner of Summers County (1914–1922). He ran for Congress after completing these commissions and sat as a Democratic Representative in the 68th Congress of the United States from March 4, 1923 to March 3, 1925. His reelection attempt in 1924 failed. Thomas returned to his law practice until his death in 1956 in

Sweet Springs, West Virginia Sweet Springs is an unincorporated community in Monroe County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Sweet Springs lies at the intersection of West Virginia Route 3 and West Virginia Route 311. The community is known for its Sweet Springs Resort and ...

. He is buried in Restwood Memorial Cemetery, Hinton, West Virginia.

Family

Thomas married Roxie May Lilly (1882-1983) and had 4 sons and 5 daughters.

References

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress - Thomas Jefferson Lilly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilly, Thomas Jefferson 1878 births 1956 deaths People from Mercer County, West Virginia People from Hinton, West Virginia Educators from West Virginia West Virginia lawyers People from Monroe County, West Virginia Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia American justices of the peace