Thomas L Glenn
The Montpelier Examiner, Friday, November 22, 1918
THOS L GLENN PASSES TO THE GREAT BEYOND: END CAME LAST MONDAY NIGHT-HAD BEEN RESIDENT OF MONTPELIER 27 YEARS-FILLED MANY POSITIONS OF HONOR AND TRUST
When Hon. Thomas L Glenn passed peacefully away at his home in this city at 11:30 o'clock last Monday night, there ended the earthly career of a man who had been prominently identified in the affairs of life in his native state, Kentucky, and his adopted state, Idaho. Before coming west in 1900 he held positions of trust and honor in Kentucky and during his residence in Idaho he had been honored by the people of the state and of Bear Lake county. He was a man if a most jovial disposition and no matter what sorrows or tribulations stressed his pathway, he invariably set his friends with a smile and was ever ready to relate to some amusing incident which occurred during his boyhood days in Kentucky or during his service in the civil war.
For one who had experienced the hardships of war, including several months in a federal prison after being wounded, Mr. Glenn enjoyed good health up to about a year ago. Since then his friends have noticed that his old time vigor was gradually fading away, although the old time smile and cordial greeting was manifested by him. About six weeks ago he suffered a stroke of apoplexy from which he never recovered. He battled bravely against death, but having reached the age of three score years and ten, that the manifestation so weakened him to his final sleep.
Thomas L Glenn was born in Ballard county, Kentucky, Feb 2, 1847. Soon after his father's death which occurred in 1849,the family removed to Evansville Indiana and later to Cairo, Ill. The opening of the civil war in 1861 found him at Cairo a youth in his 15th year and fired with the ambition to become a soldier, but his repeated efforts to join the ranks were unavailing on account of his age. Not to be deterred, he sold newspapers to the soldiers then mobilizing there and followed General Grant's forces from Cairo down into Mississippi. There the longed for opportunity to realize his ambition came and made him a member of Company F, Second Kentucky cavalry, Confederate army, known as Dukes regiment. It being under Gen John H Morgan. About the close of his first year's service Mr. Glenn was severely wounded by a minnie ball that shattered the bones of his right shoulder. He sought refuge in the house of a southern planter, where he was taken prisoner by the federals and detained until Sep 9, 1864. On his release from prison he returned to Ballard county, Kentucky. Having decided that law school should be his life pursuit, he set about to prepare for the profession by studying law during his leisure moments.
In 1874 he was elected clerk of Ballard county and held that office for eight years. At the conclusion of his second term he began the practice of law. In 1887 he was elected a state senator to represent four Kentucky counties. In 1890 Mr. Glenn decided to migrate west and selected Idaho as the state in which to make his new home. He located in Montpelier and at once began the practice of law. In 1900 Mr. Glenn was elected to congress as a populist, on a fusion ticket, which was made up of democrats, populists and free silver republicans. While in congress Mr. Glenn worked with the late Senator Newlands of Nevada, who was then a congressman in securing the passage of Newlands irrigation bill, which became a law and has been beneficial to the west.
At the conclusion of his congressional term, he returned to Montpelier and resumed the practice of law. He was thrice nominated by the democrats of the county for prosecuting attorney, but was successful only once, 1914, serving in that office from January 1915 to January 1917. He also served several years as city attorney and was holding that office at the time of his death.
In 1866 he united with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows becoming a member of the lodge at Paducah, Kentucky, which at that time was composed of men who had been in the federal and confederated armies. He helped to organized a lodge of Odd Fellows in ___?. At a session of the lodge held on the 1st day of last May, he was presented with a handsome forty-year or veteran jewel.
Mr. Glenn was thrice married; first on 17 Mar 1870 to Miss Lucretia Stephens of Paducah Kentucky. To them four sons were born all of whom survive him. They are Thomas Isaac of Fayetteville, Ark; Ivy Lawrence of Hollywood Calif; Frank J of San Bernardino Cal; and William T who is in military service and stationed at Ft Sill Oklahoma. Mrs. Glenn died in this city in January 1893. In 1895 Mr. Glenn was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Jones. To this union two sons were born, Orion J and George T. The later died in March 1912. Mrs. Glenn died on Jan 29, 1910. On January 22, 1912, Mr. Glenn married Mrs. Alice O'Conner, who survives him. Besides the five sons, he is survived by a brother, Ivy L who resides at Pueblo Colorado.
It was regrettable that public funeral services could not have been held for one who had been a resident of the city for 27 years and who had taken an active part in the up building of the community, but this was impossible on account of the ban against public gatherings because of the influenza. However, many friends together with members of the IOOF accompanied the remains to their final resting place in the city cemetery Wednesday afternoon. The Odd Fellows burial services were conducted at the grave.