J.J. Thomas

John J. Thomas joined the Federal Reserve Board on June 13, 1933. On August 21, 1934, he became vice governor of the Board.¹ He held the position until he retired from the Board on February 10, 1936.

Thomas was born in Illinois in 1869. He graduated with a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1890 and studied at the University of Nebraska from 1891 to 1892. He was admitted to the Michigan and Nebraska bars (in 1890 and 1891, respectively) and practiced in Seward, Neb. He served as Seward County attorney general from 1895 to 1896 and as county judge from 1898 to 1901. He also was a member of the Thomas and Vail law firm. In 1924, Thomas was a Democratic nominee for the US Senate.

After leaving the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Thomas became a Class C director and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. He served in that role until 1938 (the office of chairman and Federal Reserve Agent was placed on an honorarium basis on January 1, 1937). He continued to serve as a Class C director for the Reserve Bank until December 31, 1941.

Thomas' date of death is unknown.

Written by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and updated on October 14, 2025 by Federal Reserve History staff to clarify the historic titles used before 1935. See disclaimer and update policy.