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Thomas A. Chandler Collection

 Collection
Identifier: CAC-CC-011
The Chandler collection is small and fragmentary and does not reflect his activities in the U.S. Congress. For the most part, the 300 documents in the collection are constituent correspondence from 1917-1919. Some of the topics included in the materials are military conscription, Native Americans, drought relief, anti-lynching laws, the League of Nations, and the Panama Canal.

Dates

  • 1917-1937
  • Majority of material found in 1917-1919

Language of Materials

English

Extent

.42 Linear Feet (1 container)

Biographical Information:

The son of Cherokee parents, Thomas Alberter Chandler was born in Delaware County, Indian Territory, on July 26, 1871. He attended public schools, graduated from Worcester Academy in Vinita, Indian Territory, in 1888, and also attended Drury College in Springfield, Missouri. Before being admitted to the bar in 1907, Chandler served as Cherokee revenue collector, Cherokee town site commissioner, and U.S. deputy clerk of the court for the northern district of Indian Territory. From 1909 to 1910 he was a member of the first Board of Public Affairs for the state of Oklahoma. Throughout his life his vocations included the practice of law, oil production, agricultural pursuits, and the real estate business.

An active Republican, Chandler attended the Republican National Convention in Chicago in 1908. In 1916 he was elected to serve the First District of Oklahoma in the U.S. Congress. Defeated for reelection in 1918, he ran again in 1920 and was elected to the House for the sixty-seventh Congress. While in the House, Chandler served on the Indian Affairs and Alcoholic Liquor Traffic committees during his first term and on the Ways and Means committee during his second term. Unsuccessful in his bid for reelection in 1922, he resumed his business practices and residence in Vinita with his wife, Marie Louise Wainwright, and their two children. He died on June 22, 1953.

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is arranged into a single series. The Chandler Collection is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Title
Guide to the Thomas A. Chandler Collection
Language of description
The collection description/finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Part of the Carl Albert Center Congressional and Political Collections Repository

Contact:
630 Parrington Oval
Room 202B
Norman Oklahoma 73109 United States