Thomas Minor Pelly (August 22, 1902 – November 21, 1973) was an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from the state of Washington between 1953 and 1973.
Early life
Pelly was born on August 22, 1902, in Seattle, Washington. His parents were Bernard Pelly, the British consul to Seattle and Elizabeth Montgomery Minor Pelly, the daughter of former mayor of Seattle Thomas T. Minor. He attended Summit School and the University School in Victoria, British Columbia, before taking classes at the Hoosac School in Hoosick, New York. He renounced his British citizenship at the age of 21.
He worked various jobs: first with the West and Wheeler Real Estate Company and then with the Seattle National Bank a forerunner of Seafirst Bank where he was eventually promoted to trust officer in the late 1920s, after joining as a foot messenger. He married Mary Virginia Taylor in 1927, after meeting her on Bainbridge Island, where his family had a house. The couple had two children: Marion Elizabeth and Tom Minor Jr. In 1930, he started working for the Lowman & Hanford Stationery Company, during which time he wrote and published Judgement, and other poems, North-Westward, The Story of Restoration Point and Country Club and Dr. Minor: A Sketch of the Background and Life of Thos. T. Minor, M.D. Five years later, he became the company president.
Pelly voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Pelly also voted in favor of Medicare and Medicaid, and was one of 20 House Republicans to vote in favor of the repeal of section (14(B)) of the Taft-Hartley Act, which would have ended right-to-work laws.
Pelly reportedly considered running for governor in the 1964 election and in 1966, he was the preferred vice presidential candidate for Richard Nixon amongst state Republicans, although he never ran for any other office. In 1972, he chose not to seek re-election and he was succeeded by Joel Pritchard.