| Thomas F. Bayard Jr. | |
| Office: | United States Senator from Delaware |
| Term Start: | November 8, 1922 |
| Term End: | March 3, 1929 |
| Predecessor: | T. Coleman du Pont |
| Successor: | John G. Townsend Jr. |
| Birth Name: | Thomas Francis Bayard Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 4 June 1868 |
| Birth Place: | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Father: | Thomas F. Bayard |
| Children: | 5, including Alexis I. du Pont Bayard |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Yale University |
| Profession: | lawyer |
Thomas Francis Bayard Jr. (June 4, 1868 – July 12, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Delaware in the 1920s.
See also: Bayard family. Bayard was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the son of U.S. Senator Thomas F. Bayard Sr. and grandson of U.S. Senator James A. Bayard Jr.
Bayard graduated from Yale University in 1890, where he was a member of Skull and Bones[1] and served as secretary of his class.[2] He attended Yale Law School and was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1893.
He married Elizabeth Bradford du Pont on October 3, 1908.[3] Together, they had five children:
After living in New York City for four years and working as assistant corporation counsel, he returned to his Delaware law practice in 1901. He served as chairman of the Delaware Democratic Party's state committee from 1906 to 1916, and as solicitor for the city of Wilmington from 1917 until 1919.
Bayard was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election on November 7, 1922, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of U.S. Senator Josiah O. Wolcott. On the same day, he was also elected for the full term to follow, in both instances defeating incumbent Republican U.S. Senator T. Coleman du Pont (a cousin of Bayard's wife), who had been appointed. During this term, he served in the Democratic minority in the last session of the 67th Congress, and in the 68th, 69th, and 70th Congresses.
Bayard lost his bid for a second full term in 1928 to Republican John G. Townsend Jr., the former governor. He then lost another bid for a second full term in 1930 to incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Daniel O. Hastings. In all, Bayard served one term and part of another, from November 7, 1922, to March 3, 1929, during the administrations of U.S. presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Subsequently, he resumed his law practice in Wilmington.
Bayard died in Wilmington and is buried there in the Old Swedes Episcopal Church Cemetery. His son, Alexis I. du Pont Bayard, served as Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 1949 to 1953.
He is the namesake of the town of Bayard, West Virginia.[4]
| Public offices | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Type | Location | Began office | Ended office | Notes | |
| U.S. Senator | Washington | November 7, 1922 | March 3, 1923 | |||
| U.S. Senator | Washington | March 4, 1923 | March 3, 1929 |
| United States Congressional service | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | Congress | Chamber | Majority | President | Committees | Class/District | |
| 1922–1923 | 67th | U.S. Senate | Republican | Warren G. Harding Calvin Coolidge | class 1 | ||
| 1923–1925 | 68th | Republican | Calvin Coolidge | class 1 | |||
| 1925–1927 | 69th | Republican | Calvin Coolidge | class 1 | |||
| 1927–1929 | 70th | Republican | Calvin Coolidge | class 1 |
| Election results | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Election | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | |||||||||||
| 1922 | U.S. Senator | Special | Thomas F. Bayard Jr. | Democratic | 36,954 | 50% | T. Coleman du Pont | Republican | 36,894 | 50% | |||||||||||
| 1922 | U.S. Senator | General | Thomas F. Bayard Jr. | Democratic | 37,304 | 50% | T. Coleman du Pont | Republican | 36,979 | 49% | |||||||||||
| 1928 | U.S. Senator | General | Thomas F. Bayard Jr. | Democratic | 40,828 | 39% | John G. Townsend Jr. | Republican | 63,725 | 61% | |||||||||||
| 1930 | U.S. Senator | General | Thomas F. Bayard Jr. | Democratic | 39,881 | 45% | Daniel O. Hastings | Republican | 47,909 | 54% |