Thomas Albert Chandler, representative in congress from the First district of Oklahoma and a resident of Vinita, is a man of liberal education and of broad and important interests who has been a prominent figure not only in political circles but also in connection with extensive business interests of the state. He was born in the Indian Territory on the 26th of July, 1871, and is a representative of the Cherokee Nation.
Liberal educational advantages were accorded him and following his graduation from the Worcester Academy of Vinita as a member of the class of 1888 he entered Drury College at Springfield, Missouri. There he completed his studies and through an active career he has won prominence as a lawyer, as an oil producer and as a farmer. In business matters his judgment is sound, his discrimination keen and his enterprise unfaltering, while his indefatigable energy declines no call to service.
Mr. Chandler is perhaps even more widely known through his activity in the political field. In 1891 he was appointed Cherokee revenue collector and acceptably filled the office for several years. In 1895 he was made Cherokee town site commissioner and in 1900 he became deputy clerk of the United States court for the northern district of the Indian Territory. He was a member of the first board of public affairs of the state of Oklahoma in 1909 and in 1908 he was a delegate to the republican national convention, which convened in Chicago. In 1918 he was elected to the sixty-fifth congress of the United States from the first district of Oklahoma and is still representing his state in the national halls of legislation at Washington. He has always given the most thoughtful and earnest consideration to the vital questions which have come up for settlement and his course has been marked by a progressive spirit and determined action that has sought the best possible results for the country.
Mr. Chandler was united in marriage to Miss Marie L. Wainright of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and they have become parents of two children, Norma Louise and Callis P. They occupy an enviable position in the social circles of their city and have made many warm friends during their sojourn in Washington.