John W. E. Thomas

Biography

John William Edinburgh Thomas (May 1, 1847 – December 18, 1899) was an American businessman, educator, and Illinois politician. Born into slavery in Alabama, he moved to Chicago after the Civil War, where he became a prominent community leader. In 1876 he became the first African American elected to the Illinois General Assembly. Thomas was instrumental in passage of Illinois' first anti-discrimination in public accommodations law, which he introduced in 1885.

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