Thomas Ryan (Kansas politician)

Thomas Ryan
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 3rd & 4th district
In office March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1885 March 4, 1885 – April 4, 1889
Preceded by	William R. Brown (none)
Succeeded by	Harrison Kelley
Personal details
Born	(1837-11-25)November 25, 1837 Oxford, New York, US
Died	April 5, 1914(1914-04-05) (aged 76) Muskogee, Oklahoma, US
Political party	Republican
Profession	Politician, Lawyer

Thomas Ryan (November 25, 1837 – April 5, 1914) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Kansas.

Born in Oxford, New York on November 25, 1837, Ryan moved to Bradford County, Pennsylvania with his parents, attended Dickinson Seminary in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1861.

During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army from 1862 to 1864.

Following his military service, Ryan moved to Topeka, Kansas, where he served as prosecuting attorney of Shawnee County, Kansas from 1865 to 1873. He was then appointed as an assistant United States Attorney for Kansas from 1873 to 1877.

In 1876, he was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives. After serving in that capacity from 1877 to 1889, he was appointed Ambassador to Mexico by President Benjamin Harrison in 1889, a post he held until 1893.

In 1897, Ryan was appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Interior by President William McKinley. He served in that capacity until 1907 when he was sent to Muskogee, Oklahoma as the personal resident representative of the Secretary of the Interior. He held that post until his death.

Ryan died in Muskogee on April 5, 1914. His body was returned to Topeka, Kansas and interred in the Topeka Cemetery.

• United States Congress. "Thomas Ryan (id: R000559)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-14
• "Thomas Ryan". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-02-14.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress