Thomas J. Hatem

Thomas J. Hatem (1925 – March 19, 1985) was an American politician from Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Harford County, from 1955 to 1958. He is the namesake of the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge.

Early life Thomas J. Hatem was born in 1925 in Havre de Grace, Maryland. He graduated from Havre de Grace High School in 1943. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1952. He was admitted to the bar in 1952.

Career Hatem served as a state athletic commissioner and as chairman of the State Accident Fund. He served two terms on the state's Department of Employment Security's Board of Appeals. He also served on the Interstate Advisory Commission on the Susquehanna River. He served with Joseph D. Tydings and W. Dale Hess. The trio were referred to as "whiz kids" since they were all under 30 years old.

Hatem died of leukemia on March 19, 1985, at the age of 59, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He was buried at Bel Air Memorial Gardens in Bel Air.

Legacy

The Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, formerly Susquehanna River Toll Bridge, on U.S. Route 40 was posthumously named after Hatem in 1986.

Hatem was added to the Havre de Grace High School Hall of Fame in 2016.