Cecil L. Thomas (born October 21, 1952) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer who served as a member of the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
from the 9th district.
Early life and education
Thomas was born in rural northern
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = " Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...
and moved to
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...
at a young age. He graduated from
Withrow High School
Withrow High School (originally East Side High School) is a public high school located on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is part of the Cincinnati Public Schools.
History
The school opened in 1919 and was listed on the National Register ...
. In 1974, Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in law enforcement technology from the
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...
. He later earned another Bachelor of Science degree, in criminal justice management, from the
Union Institute & University
Union Institute & University (UI&U) is a private university in Cincinnati, Ohio. It specializes in limited residence and distance learning programs. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and operates satellite campuses ...
.
Career
After high school, he joined the Cincinnati police cadet program, and served the city of Cincinnati as a police officer for the next 27 years. In 2005, following his retirement from the police force, Thomas ran and won election to