Representative Thomas Louis Glenn

Thomas Louis Glenn (February 2, 1847 – November 18, 1918) was an attorney and politician who served as a Representative from Idaho in the United States Congress from 1901 to 1903. A member of the Populist Party, he represented Idaho at-large for one term in the House of Representatives, contributing to the legislative process during a significant period in American history and participating in the democratic governance of his adopted state.

Glenn was born near Bardwell, Ballard County, Kentucky, on February 2, 1847. He attended local schools in Kentucky and later pursued commercial studies at Evansville Commercial College in Evansville, Indiana. His early education prepared him for both business and public service, and he came of age in the turbulent years leading up to and during the American Civil War.

During the Civil War, Glenn served in the Confederate States Army as a member of Company F, Second Kentucky Cavalry Regiment. He saw active service and was wounded at the Battle of Mount Sterling on June 9, 1864. Following his injury, he was captured by Union forces and imprisoned at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, which was being used as a military prison. He remained there until he was paroled in September 1864. After the war, Glenn returned to civilian life and worked on his family’s farm in Ballard County, resuming agricultural pursuits in the Reconstruction-era South.

Glenn soon entered public service in Kentucky. He was elected Ballard County Clerk, serving from 1874 to 1882, a position that gave him experience in local administration and public records. Building on this role, he advanced to state office and served in the Kentucky Senate from 1887 to 1891. During this period he studied law, and in 1890 he was admitted to the bar. Shortly thereafter, he moved west and established a law practice in Montpelier, Idaho, where he became part of the emerging professional and political class in the developing state.

In Idaho, Glenn aligned himself with the Populist Party, which had significant influence in the Mountain West at the turn of the twentieth century. In 1900 he was elected as a Populist to the Fifty-seventh Congress, representing Idaho at-large. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1901, to March 3, 1903. During his tenure, he represented the interests of his Idaho constituents in a period marked by debates over economic policy, western development, and the legacy of the Populist movement. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1902, concluding his congressional service after a single term.

Following his service in Congress, Glenn returned to Montpelier and resumed his legal and civic activities. In 1904 he was elected Mayor of Montpelier, further demonstrating the confidence his community placed in his leadership. He also served as the local prosecuting attorney, continuing his involvement in public affairs at the municipal and county levels while maintaining his law practice.

Thomas Louis Glenn remained in Montpelier for the rest of his life. He died there on November 18, 1918. He was interred in City Cemetery in Montpelier, Idaho, closing a career that spanned Confederate military service, local and state office in Kentucky, and national office as a Populist congressman representing the people of Idaho.