University of Utah for many years. Political office Thomas was first elected to the Senate as a Democrat in 1932, defeating Republican Reed Smoot. He served on the Committee on Education and Labor (of which he was the Chairman), the Committee on Military Affairs, the Mines and Mining Committee, and the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. In April 1943 a confidential analysis of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by British scholar Isaiah Berlin for the British Foreign Office characterized Thomas as: Thomas was among twelve nominated at the 1944 Democratic National Convention to serve as Franklin D. Roosevelt's running mate in the presidential election that year. He served three terms before being defeated for reelection by Wallace F. Bennett in 1950. In 1951, he was appointed High Commissioner over the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Elbert died in Honolulu, Hawaii Territory, on February 11, 1953. He was buried in the Thomas family plot in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Legacy The Gibbs-Thomas House, in Salt Lake City, which was Thomas's sole residence in Utah, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 in large part to recognize his association. References External links Elbert D. Thomas Collection at the Carl Albert Center Haruo Iguchi, Senator Elbert D. Thomas and Japan 1883 births 1953 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints American Mormon missionaries in Japan Democratic Party United States senators from Utah University of Utah faculty Utah Democrats 20th-century Mormon missionaries High Commissioners of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Mission presidents (LDS Church) 20th-century American politicians Latter Day Saints from Utah