Thomas B. Kay
Thomas B. Kay | |
|---|---|
 Kay circa 1903 | |
| Oregon State Treasurer | |
| In office January 4, 1911– January 6, 1919 January 4, 1925– April 29, 1931 | |
| Governor | Jay Bowerman Oswald West James Withycombe Walter M. Pierce I. L. Patterson Julius L. Meier |
| Preceded by | George A. Steel Jefferson Myers |
| Succeeded by | O. P. Hoff Rufus C. Holman |
| Oregon State Senator | |
| In office 1907 – 1911 | |
| Constituency | Marion County |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
| In office 1903 – 1907 1921 – 1925 | |
| Constituency | Marion County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 28, 1864 Trenton, New Jersey |
| Died | April 29, 1931 (aged 67) Salem, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Cora M. Wallace |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Baptist College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Thomas Benjamin Kay (February 28, 1864 – April 29, 1931) was an American politician and businessman in the state of Oregon. A native of New Jersey, he moved to Oregon with his family at the age of one where he later took over the family's woolen mill business. A Republican, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and four terms as the Oregon State Treasurer, the longest of anyone in that office's history.
Early years
[edit]Thomas Kay was born on February 28, 1864, in Trenton, New Jersey, to Thomas Lister and Ann (née Slingsbey) Kay.[1] His father had already moved to Oregon before the younger Thomas was born.[2] After the younger Thomas was born, his mother and the rest of the family immigrated to Oregon via the Isthmus of Panama route, arriving in 1864.[3] The whole family settled in Brownsville where the elder Thomas was a partner in a woolen mill.[3]
The younger Thomas Kay grew up in Brownsville and attended the local schools.[1] When he was nine years old he started working at his father's mill as a spooler, and remained until age 14.[3] Kay then moved to McMinnville and spent three years studying at the Baptist College (now Linfield College).[3] He then left college in 1883 and returned to working for the mill, but at the mill's Portland store.[3]
Kay returned to McMinnville in 1884 where started working in the apparel business, forming the partnership of Bishop & Kay.[3] Bishop left the partnership after four years and the company became Kay & Todd.[3] Kay was married in McMinnville on January 15, 1888, to Cora M. Wallace, and they had three children.[3][4] In 1895, he started working for his father's new woolen mill in Salem as a salesperson.[2][3] He also served for four years in the state militia.[5]
In 1897, Kay traveled to New York City for the mill, and returned the next year.[3] That year he sold his stake in the clothing company and moved to Salem where he took the position of assistant manager at the mill along with his sales position.[3] In 1900, his father died, and Kay became the president of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, a position he would hold until his own death.[1][2]
Political career
[edit]Kay started his political career in local politics in McMinnville where he served on the city council and school board.[1] In 1902, he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican to a two-year term.[6] He represented district 1 that included Marion County, and was the chairman of the ways and means committee.[1][6] Kay was re-elected to a second term in the house in 1904 and served through the 1905 legislative session.[7] During the 1905 session he lost out on being Speaker of the House by a single vote to A. L. Mills.[1] In 1906, Kay was elected to a four-year term in the Oregon State Senate.[8] He again represented district 1 as a Republican, and served through the 1909 special session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly.[9]
Kay did not run for re-election to the Senate in 1910, and instead was the Republican nominee for Oregon State Treasurer.[5] He won the November election for a four-year term and took office on January 4, 1911.[10] After re-election in 1914, he served a second full-term, leaving office on January 6, 1919.[10] He was at times mentioned as a candidate for governor as well as the United States Senate.[1]
He returned to state politics in 1920 and was elected back to the Oregon House, again representing district 1.[11] Kay served his full two-year term, won re-election in 1922, and served through the 1923 legislative session.[12] In 1924, he was again elected as state treasurer and took office on January 4, 1925.[13] Kay won re-election to a fourth term in the office in 1928 and served until his death in office in 1931.[13] His 14 years in the office are the longest of any treasurer in Oregon history.[13]
Later years
[edit]Kay was a member of several fraternal societies including the Masons as a member of the Knights Templar,[5] the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Salem Commercial Club, and the Woodmen of the World.[1][3] Additionally, he was on the board of directors of the YMCA, the Illihee Club, the Portland Manufacturers' Association, and at Willamette University in Salem.[1][3] He also served as director of Oregon's chamber of commerce and president of the state's board of trade.[1] Thomas Benjamin Kay died on April 29, 1931, at the age of 67.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Carey, Charles Henry. (1922). History of Oregon. Pioneer Historical Publishing Co. Vol. 2, pp. 365.
- ^ a b c Thomas Kay. Salem Online History. Salem Public Library. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Chapman Publishing Company. (1903). Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley, Oregon: Containing Original Sketches of Many Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present. Chicago: Chapman Pub. p. 587.
- ^ a b Corning, Howard M. (1989) Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 132.
- ^ a b c Who's Who in the Northwest. Portland, Oregon: Western Press Association. 1911.
- ^ a b Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1903 Regular Session (22nd). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1905 Regular Session (23rd). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1907 Regular Session (24th). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1909 Special Session (25th). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ a b Carey, Charles Henry. (1922). History of Oregon. Pioneer Historical Publishing Co. Vol. 1, pp. 901.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1921 Regular Session (31st). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1923 Regular Session (32nd). Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- ^ a b c Oregon State Treasury Administrative Overview. Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on July 24, 2009.
- Republican Party Oregon state senators
- Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
- State treasurers of Oregon
- Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey
- People from Brownsville, Oregon
- People from McMinnville, Oregon
- Politicians from Salem, Oregon
- Businesspeople from Oregon
- Willamette University people
- Linfield University alumni
- Oregon city council members
- 1864 births
- 1931 deaths
- School board members in Oregon
- 20th-century Oregon politicians