Thomas Henchion Doyle (1863–1949), a son of Irish immigrants who settled in Massachusetts in the early 19th century, moved to Kansas after birth with his father and four siblings after the death of his mother.

Doyle apparently convinced enough legislators with his well-reasoned presentation emphasizing the progress of people in both territories, as opposed to stoking the long-standing prejudice of many whites toward the natives that the result was to schedule the Oklahoma Organic Act, based on the single-state model for June 16, 1906 and the grant of statehood for November 16, 1907.

[1] Doyle jumped into politics, joined the Democratic party and was elected to the Oklahoma Territorial House of Representatives, where he served between 1897 and 1901.

When he made his initial campaign tour into Oklahoma Territory, he found that his progressive themes played well among potential voters there.

[5] The issue of statehood for Oklahoma divided the country and congress, as well as the residents of the twin territories, into rival camps over one state versus two.

A congressional debate was scheduled for January 16, 1904 with Doyle presenting the one-state side pitted against Bird S. McGuire, speaking for the two state option.

In 1908, Doyle was elected as delegate-at-large and chairman of the Oklahoma delegation to the Democratic Party national convention, which was held in Denver, Colorado.

Not only did he author many articles that were published in the society's Chronicles of Oklahoma magazine, both before and after retiring from OCCA, he was instrumental in obtaining many mementos for the state Historical Museum through individuals he knew personally.

Thomas soon moved into the Oklahoma City home of his daughter and her husband, where he spent the last years of his life, until he died on the morning of February 5, 1949.