Yon, Thomas Alva, 1882-1971

Thomas Alva Yon (1882-1971) was born in Blountstown, Florida, and served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1927 until 1933. He was a long time Democratic Party member and served in many other positions in the Government Accounting Agency, the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, and the US Department of Commerce after his tenure in Congress.

From the guide to the Thomas Alva Yon Scrapbook, 1927-1928, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)

Born in 1882, Thomas Alva Yon went to the Lanier Business College in Macon, Georgia, and graduated in 1903. He was a traveling salesman until 1927. He became a U.S. Representative from Florida and served from 1927 until 1933 as a Democrat. He also served on the U.S. Bureau of Commerce from 1933-1940 and the General Accounting Office from 1941-1949. He was appointed to the U.S. Bureau of Commerce by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Since Yon's constituents were in the Florida Panhandle, most of his time and effort as a congressman was spent promoting public work projects in the area. For example, he supported the building of the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. He died in 1971.

Source: Biographical Directory of the American Congress 1774-1971 . United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1971, p. 1966.

From the guide to the Thomas Alva Yon Papers, 1926-1937, (Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida)