Harry Thomas, Sr.

Who was Harry Thomas, Sr.?

Harry Thomas, Sr. was a Democratic politician in Washington, D.C. He was elected to represent Ward 5 on the Council of the District of Columbia in 1986 and served three full terms.

Thomas grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and dropped out of high school before enlisting in the army during World War II. After the war he moved to Washington, D.C., where he held a series of federal government jobs beginning with janitor and ending in the Department of the Interior's Office of Public Affairs.

In 1986, after retiring from Interior, Thomas challenged incumbent William Spaulding for the Ward 5 council seat in the Democratic primary and won. During his tenure in office he was known as a ward boss more focused on providing constituent services than sponsoring legislation.

Thomas's son, Harry Thomas, Jr., was elected to the Ward 5 council seat in 2006 and served until resigning in 2012.