User:Marctho/Gordon L. Thomas

Gordon L. Thomas is a Michigan political figure who served as Mayor Of East Lansing in the 1960s amid college-town student civil rights and anti-war protests. He was President of the Michigan Municipal League and served as a member of the Executive Board of the National League of Cities.

Gordon Thomas was born in Orpington, England in 1914 and came to the United States as a boy. He graduated from the Oxford, Michigan High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Albion (MI) College, a master’s degree from Michigan State University (MSU) and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He married Phyllis Lenzner in 1941. They had two children, David and Kathleen.

Dr. Thomas joined the MSU faculty after returning from U.S. Army service in World War II and served as Communications Professor until he retired in 1983. In addition to teaching, Dr. Thomas served in other roles at MSU, including as Associate Dean for the College of Communications Arts and Sciences from 1970-73, and as Secretary for Academic Governance from 1973-1983.

Dr. Thomas was elected to the East Lansing City Council in 1959, and served as Mayor of East Lansing from 1961 to 1971, the city's longest-serving mayor. He also was President of the Michigan Municipal League in 1966-67 and served on the Executive Board of the National League of Cities from 1968-1971. "Mayor Gordon L. Thomas of East Lansing, the new President of the Michigan Municipal League, is a well-known authority on parliamentary procedure and a professor of speech, in addition to being active in League affairs."

Student protests in the 1960s - from local concerns such as open housing to national policy on Vietnam - were common in East Lansing. The Detroit Free Press reported in 1965 about one such event, which culminated in a sit-in at city council chambers: "About 100 sign-toting students from Michigan State University picketed East Lansing City Hall for the second straight day Tuesday, seeking 'more affirmative action' against alleged racial discrimination in off-campus housing ... police spent an hour carrying the limp-bodied youngsters to a rear parking lot ... Midway through Tuesday's demonstration, Mayor Gordon Thomas agreed to meet with student leaders Monday on the MSU campus to discuss the problem." Time Magazine covered the 1971 East Lansing city election – and the effects of the 1971 26th Amendment granting 18-year-olds the vote. “Relying on his traditionally heavy support from the off-campus community, Thomas, 56, counted on two or three active volunteers to run his campaign and never appealed to the student vote. Still, the consensus of local political sages was that his election was a sure thing,” Time reported. “They were wrong. Mayor Thomas, who admitted he was shocked by the results, was ousted and finished fourth behind Council Incumbent Wilbur Brookover who, near the end of the campaign, switched signals and began speaking and debating on campus.”

The East Lansing Towne Courier reported in 1995: “After a 10-year stint as mayor, Thomas said it was difficult to name his greatest achievement while in office. ‘I think it would have to be the passing of the open housing ordinance – we had no ordinance prohibiting discrimination in housing,’ Thomas said. He recalled the ordinance initially failed with a 2-3 vote, but then passed unanimously a year or two later. ‘No one said anything about it – we just passed it.’ Also during his term as mayor, many things were built in the city, such as the library, the city garage and the water treatment plant.”

Dr. Thomas is descended from William Bevil Thomas, Newfoundland merchant, and William Thomas, member of the Newfoundland Parliament.

Gordon Thomas died in 1997 in East Lansing. Upon his death, a Lansing State Journal included the following insight: "For years, the name Gordon Thomas stood for the steady, stable foundation of East Lansing. From 1961 to 1971, the former mayor guided the city through the turmoil of civil disruption, war protests and rights marches.  In later years, he remained a trusted adviser, a connoisseur of the city's rich history.  Thomas' death this week diminishes the city.  He understood the dynamics of a vibrant college town and helped lay the groundwork for nurturing a diverse community ..."