Thomas Wharton Phillips (February 23, 1835 – July 21, 1912) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life

Phillips was born near

Mount Jackson, Pennsylvania Mount Jackson is a small village in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The population is approximately 1000. The North Beaver Fire Department, municipal buildings, Mount Jackson Presbyterian Church, and a recycling center are located there. Histor ...

, in that section of

Beaver County, Pennsylvania Beaver County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,215. Its county seat is Beaver. The county was created on March 12, 1800, from parts of Allegheny and Washington counties. It took ...

, now included in

Lawrence County, Pennsylvania Lawrence County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 86,070. The county seat is New Castle. Lawrence County comprises the entire New Castle, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

. He was the son of Ephram Phillips (1795–1835) and Ann Phillips (1796–1866). He attended the common schools and was also privately instructed.

Career

He engaged in the production of

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

, and served as president of the Producers’ Protective Association from 1887 to 1890. He was president of the Citizens’ National Bank of

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is northwest of Pittsburgh, and near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, just southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, ...

, and a member of the board of trustees of Bethany College,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, and of

Hiram College Hiram College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Hiram, Ohio. It was founded in 1850 as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute by Amos Sutton Hayden and other members of the Disciples of Christ Church. The college is nonsectarian and coe ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Phillips was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth Congresses. He was the Chairman of the

United States House Committee on Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

during the Fifty-fourth Congress. He did not seek renomination in 1896. He resumed his former pursuits, and was appointed a member of the

United States Industrial Commission {{Distinguish, Industrial Relations Commission The Industrial Commission was a United States government body in existence from 1898 to 1902. It was appointed by President William McKinley to investigate railroad pricing policy, industrial concentr ...

by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

and served until its dissolution. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1908. In 1906, Phillips was approached by his friend, Dr. Ely Zollars, for help in establishing a bible college in what was then the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

. Mr. Phillips agreed to pay Dr. Zollars salary for one year while his friend sought to secure a location for the school. Phillips became a long time benefactor of the school which was initially called Oklahoma Christian University.

Personal life

Phillips was twice married. His first marriage was in 1862 to Clarinda Hardman (1837–1866), the daughter of David Hardman and Nancy Rebecca (née Arter) Hardman. Together, they were the parents of: * Herbert Clyde Phillips (1864–1912), who married Idell Houghton in 1894. * Norman Arter Phillips (1865–1893), a banker. After the death of his first wife, he remarried in 1871 to his late wife's younger sister, Pamphila Hardman (1844–1933). Together, they were the parents of: * Victor Karl Phillips (1872–1901), who married Mary Mayme Lusk in 1898. * Thomas Wharton Phillips Jr. (1874–1956), also a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. * Benjamin D. Phillips (1885–1968), who served as a member of the board of Citizens National Bank for 50 years. He married Undine Conant, and after her death, Mildred Welshimer. Phillips died in New Castle on July 21, 1912. He was buried in Oak Park Cemetery, New Castle, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

Upon Phillips' death the trustees voted to change the name of the school to

Phillips University Phillips University was a private university Enid, Oklahoma. It opened in 1906 and closed in 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary. The university wa ...

in his honor. The university closed in 1998, but

Phillips Theological Seminary Phillips Theological Seminary is a private seminary affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was established in 1906 and was originally a part of the now defunct Phillips University. History ...

which separated from the university in 1987, continues to exist as of 2016.

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Thomas W. 1835 births 1912 deaths Hiram College 19th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania American bank presidents Burials in Pennsylvania 19th-century American businesspeople