Thomas Kearns (April 11, 1862 – October 18, 1918) was an American mining, banking, railroad, and newspaper magnate. He was a US Senator from Utah from 1901 to 1905. Unlike the predominantly Mormon constituents of his state, Senator Kearns was Catholic. Early life Born near Woodstock, Canada West (now Ontario) he moved with his parents to O'Neill in Holt County, Nebraska, where he attended the public schools until he was 17, worked on his family farm, and engaged in the freighting business. Mining He moved to Park City, Utah, in 1883, and worked in mining, prospected, and operated several mines. In 1889 and his partner David Keith discovered the rich ore that became the famous Silver King Coalition Mine in Park City. They would eventually own several mines throughout Utah, Nevada, Colorado and California. In Park City, Kearns, a Catholic, married Jennie Judge in 1890 in Salt Lake City. They had four children: Margaret Ann (1892-1893), Edmund Judge (1893-1936), Thomas Francis (1897-1967), and Helen Marie (1899-1943). Politics Kearns served in the City Council of Park City in 1895. He was a member of the Utah constitutional convention of 1895, where he worked for an eight-hour work day. He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1899. At the time, U.S. Senators were still selected by state legislatures. Utah's state legislators had already indicated they would not support the incumbent, Republican Frank J. Cannon, for reelection. Alfred W. McCune, one of Salt Lake City's most prominent businessmen, sought and won the backing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in his bid for the seat. But the legislature quickly deadlocked over the election. One-hundred and twenty-one ballots were cast, and no winner emerged. On February 18, a state representative accused McCune of trying to buy his vote. A seven-member legislative voted 7-to-2 to absolve McCune of the charge, and although balloting resumed on March 8 McCune still lacked enough votes to win office (he had only 25 votes). The legislature adjourned without having chosen a senator. He served from January 23, 1901, to March 4, 1905. Kearns was the first Utahn to establish a national and international political reputation, partly because of his personal and political friendship with Presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft. Through Kearns' efforts as Utah's U.S. Senator, Fort