Quick Facts
Biography
Thomas J. Holmes (c. 1819 – June 18, 1867) was the mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States from 1866 to 1867. He was born in Suffolk, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. He lived in New Jersey until 1852, when he moved west to California and, later the same year, to Oregon. Following the resignation of Mayor Henry Failing, Holmes was chosen to succeed him as mayor by a vote of the city council on December 1, 1866.
Thomas Holmes died at his Portland home of a stroke on June 18, 1867, only one day after being elected to a full term as mayor.
His son, Byron Z. Holmes (1847 – November 23, 1903), was elected to the Oregon Legislature in 1876 and was a "prominent citizen" and businessman in Portland. Byron Holmes served in the Oregon House of Representatives, specifically.