Thomas Alva Yon (March 14, 1882 – February 16, 1971) was an American politician and businessman who served in 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 ...

as a

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 ...

Life

Thomas Alva Yon was born to Higdon Almarin Yon and Laura D. Lockey near

Blountstown, Florida Blountstown is a city in Calhoun County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,514 at the 2010 census, which represented an increase from 2,444 in 2000. It is the county seat of Calhoun County. Name Blountstown is named for John Blount ...

on March 14, 1882. At the age of five, his family moved to a farm in

Jackson County, Florida Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, on its northwestern border with Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,319. Its county seat is Marianna. History Jackson County was created by the Florida Territ ...

. Yon attended rural schools and graduated from Lanier Southern Business College in Macon, Georgia in 1903. He returned to Blountstown in 1903 and engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1906. He engaged as a traveling salesman in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

from 1906 to 1927. He served as delegate to the

1920 Democratic National Convention Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

. Yon was elected as a

to the United States House of Representatives in the

1926 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1926. Africa * 1926 Egyptian parliamentary election * 1926 Lagos by-election * 1926 Northern Rhodesian general election * 1926 South West African legislative election Asia * 1926 Hong Kong sanitary ...

, and was twice re-elected, serving from March 4, 1927 to March 4, 1933, in the 70th, 71st, and 72nd Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. He was a supporter of the building of

Naval Air Station Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

. During the

1932 Democratic Party presidential primaries From March 8 to May 20, 1932, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1932 United States presidential election. New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt was selected as the nominee through a series of primary elections ...

he supported Governor

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

for the nomination. Yon served as a special and commercial agent in the

Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce : The International Trade Administration (ITA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes United States exports of nonagricultural U.S. services and goods. Duties The ITA's stated goals are to # Provide practical info ...

of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from 1933 to 1940. He served as assistant investigator in the Division of Investigation of the

General Accounting Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a legislative branch government agency that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the supreme audit institution of the federal govern ...

from 1941 until his retirement in January 1946. Yon engaged in development and sale of his Florida real estate holdings after retirement. On February 16, 1971 Yon died in

in 1971, and was interred in Oakland Cemetery.

Electoral history

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yon, Tom 1882 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida People from Blountstown, Florida People from Jackson County, Florida