Politics
Kearns served in the City Council of Park City in 1895. He was a member of the Utah constitutional convention of 1895, where he worked for an eight-hour work day.
He was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1899. At the time, U.S. Senators were still selected by state legislatures. Utah's state legislators had already indicated they would not support the incumbent, Republican Frank J. Cannon, for reelection. Alfred W. McCune, one of Salt Lake City's most prominent businessmen, sought and won the backing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in his bid for the seat. But the legislature quickly deadlocked over the election. One-hundred and twenty-one ballots were cast, and no winner emerged. On February 18, a state representative accused McCune of trying to buy his vote. A seven-member legislative voted 7-to-2 to absolve McCune of the charge, and although balloting resumed on March 8 McCune still lacked enough votes to win office (he had only 25 votes). The legislature adjourned without having chosen a senator,
Utah's U.S. Senate seat remained vacant until January 1901. The Republicans regained their majority in the state legislature in the election of 1900, and elected Thomas Kearns to fill the seat. The election was still hotly disputed. Kearns received only 8 votes on the first ballot, and balloting continued for four more days. On January 22, Kearns won the election by a unanimous Republican vote of 37-to-25 (Democrats voting for McCune).
He served from January 23, 1901, to March 4, 1905. Kearns was the first Utahn to establish a national and international political reputation, partly because of his personal and political friendship with President's William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt and Howard Taft . Through Kearns' efforts as Utah's U.S. Senator, Fort Douglas became a regimental post.
Supporters of Kearns formed the American Party. Though not publicly among the party's organizers, Kearns was influential in the party. The party was endorsed by the Salt Lake Tribune—which Kearns and his partner David Keith purchased in October 1901—and was successful in Utah politics from 1904 to 1911.
Read more about this topic: Thomas Kearns
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