Los Angeles County
Biographies
WILLIAM
M. THOMAS
THOMAS, WILLIAM M., Consulting Engineer, Los Angeles, Cal.,
was born in St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 7, 1877, the son of Major John S. Thomas and
Ellen C. Thomas. He married Cecilia J. Feenan, of Hollywood, Cal., Oct.
3, 1912. His father, a successful architect, builder and inventor, with more
than fifty patented products to his credit, held a commission under Leland Stanford, Governor of
California.
Mr. Thomas received his preliminary education in
public schools of St. Louis
and Chicago,
attending Jesuit College, Chicago, and studied Architecture at the Art
Institute and Art Acamedy (sic) Chicago.
As architect for the Terminal R. R. Ass’n of St. Louis, he had charge of the designing and
architectural dept. of their great $20,000,000 terminal. Upon its completion
Mr. Thomas became Structural Engineer for the Southern Pacific R. R. At Tucson,
Ariz., and later was Bridge Inspector and Asst. Engineer of the S. P. Mexican
lines.
In 1906 he moved to California and as Engineer for
John Martin, Pres. of the Pacific
Coast Light & Power Co., designed and built at Santa Cruz, Cal., the
first bridge of the "Thomas System" in California. In 1908 he formed
a partnership with W. S. Post, a well-known engineer of Southern California, locating in Los
Angeles. Thomas & Post have since designed and built many structures under
the "Thomas System," among them a bridge at Oceanside, Cal., another at the San Lucas Crossing
of the Santa Ynez River, in Santa Barbara County, and one at Bakersfield, Cal.,
1050 feet in length.
Although Mr. Thomas is best known for his bridge
construction, he has invented other practical building methods, among them the
Thomas Floor System. He has eleven other patents granted or pending, pertaining
to concrete construction.
Mr. Thomas is an Associate Member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers.
Transcribed
6-22-11 Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 778,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2011 Marilyn R. Pankey.
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BIOGRAPIES