Charles Randolph Thomas (February 7, 1827 – February 18, 1891), was a 19th Century American attorney and politician who served two terms as U.S. Congressional Representative from North Carolina during the Reconstruction era.
He was the father of Charles R. Thomas (1861-1931), also a politician.
Early life and education
Thomas was born in Beaufort, NC, February 7, 1827. He attended a private school in Hillsboro, North Carolina (there was no public education). He was graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1849. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1850.
Career
He started a practice in Beaufort and moved to New Bern. He also became involved in politics and was elected as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1861 to set up the new Confederate state.
He was appointed as North Carolina Secretary of State from 1864 to 1865. After the war, he was appointed by the Governor as president of the Atlantic & North Carolina Railroad in 1867. He became a judge of the superior court from 1868 to 1870.
Congress
Thomas was elected from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district as a Republican to the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses (March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875). He was an unsuccessful candidate for Republican renomination in 1874, losing to John A. Hyman, the first African American elected to Congress from the state.
Later career and death
Thomas returned to his law practice in New Bern. He died there February 18, 1891.
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byJohn P. H. Russ | Secretary of State of North Carolina 1864–1865 |
Succeeded byRobert W. Best |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded byJoseph Dixon | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 2nd congressional district 1871–1875 |
Succeeded byJohn A. Hyman |
- 1827 births
- 1891 deaths
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
- North Carolina state court judges
- Secretaries of state of North Carolina
- Politicians from New Bern, North Carolina
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina
- People from Beaufort, North Carolina
- 19th-century American judges
- 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives