Clifford William Thomas
Clifford William Thomas was born on October 26, 1896 in Trigg County, Kentucky. He was the oldest of seven children born to Bluford Ira Thomas and Alice Lula Vinson Thomas. Ira Thomas was a prominent farmer of the Gracey community and a descendant of Starkie Thomas. Alice was a housewife and was a descendant of Cullen Thomas. Clifford’s siblings were Henry Vinson Thomas, born in 1898 and married Artie Hembey; Mary Catherine Thomas, born in 1900 and married John William Stewart; Janie Thelma Thomas, born in 1902 and married Clifton Elliott Wright; Clyde S. “Sonny” Thomas, born in 1907 and married Mary Lillian Ladd; Inez Thomas, born in 1909 and married Archer Larkins Haydon and Lula Thomas, born in 1910 and married Marion Bell Ladd.
Instead of attending school in his home county of Trigg, Clifford attended and graduated from the Vanderbilt Training School for Boys in nearby Elkton, Kentucky. The Vanderbilt Training School was a prep school founded in September 1892 and affiliated with Vanderbilt University. However, the university relationship with the school was severed in 1914. At the time of Clifford’s graduation from the school on May 8, 1918, it was merely a private school but still retained its V. T. S. identity.
Following graduation from the Elkton school Clifford enlisted in the U. S. Navy on June 3, 1918 where he became an Apprentice Seaman. He served over three years in the Navy and was discharged on September 30, 1921.
In January 1924 Clifford became the Assistant Clerk of the Kentucky House of Representatives in Frankfort after a spirited contest with his opponent from Crittenden County, Kentucky. He continued to win re-election to the assistant clerk position until 1930 when he was nominated for the position of Chief Clerk for the House of Representatives. On January 8, 1930, he was sworn into office by acclamation in the absence of Republican nominees. In addition to serving in the clerk positions in the House of Representatives, Clifford served as the Journal Clerk in the Kentucky Senate for three terms.
Clifford’s involvement serving as the clerk positions in Frankfort caused him to want to serve as an elected official from his home town. Relying on his experience in his various positions serving for the legislature in Frankfort, in August 1937, Clifford declared his candidacy as the State Representative for the ninth district of Trigg County in the Democrat primary. He was opposed by three other candidates, Garland Cunningham, George L. Cunningham and Frank Ladd of Cadiz. The Republican candidate was J. B. Alexander of Gracey, who ran unopposed. Unfortunately, Clifford came in third in the race, effectively ending his political career.
In addition to his legislative and political career, Clifford worked in several other jobs during his life. He worked for the Standard Printing Company of Louisville for a number of years and later with the Department of Revenue. He also worked with the U. S. Postal Service from which he retired in 1970. He also spent a lot of his time working with his father on their farm in the Gracey community.
In late April 1975 Clifford suffered a massive stroke and was sent to the St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville. After ten days in Nashville, he was transferred back to the Trigg County Hospital in Cadiz where he died on May 2 at the age of 78. Clifford was single. He was buried in the East End Cemetery in Cadiz.
Clifford in the Navy
Clifford's political ad
Clifford's tombstone
Clifford's military tombstone
LINEAGE: (Clifford William Thomas was the son of Bluford Ira and Alice Lula Vinson Thomas and the grandson of William Bridges and Nancy Jane Rogers Thomas and Henry Cullen and Mary Catherine Sumner Vinson. William was the first child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Henry Cullen was the first child of Thomas Allison and Emeline Thomas Vinson. Emeline was the fifth child of Cullen and Elizabeth Futrell Thomas. Cullen was the first child of James and Mary Standley Thomas.)