Born in McConnelsville, Ohio, Thomas did not get a college degree until he was 31, receiving a Bachelor of Philosophy from the University of Iowa in 1904.
Thomas suspended his private practice to become an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa in 1914.
He didn't return to public service until the Democratic Party again controlled the White House in 1933, when he became Solicitor for the United States Department of Agriculture.
[1] Thomas received a recess appointment from President Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 2, 1935, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge Charles Breckenridge Faris.
His service terminated on February 2, 1962, due to his death in Sioux City, Iowa.