Thomas Jefferson Halsey

Thomas Jefferson Halsey (May 4, 1863 – March 17, 1951) was an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 6th congressional district from 1929 to 1931.

Born in Dover, New Jersey, to T. J. Halsey and Sarah Burt Halsey, he was presumably named for President Thomas Jefferson. In 1878, he and his family moved onto a grain farm near Holden, Missouri. He was educated at public and private schools, and studied at the University of Missouri and the State Normal School. He worked as an educator between 1880 and 1881, and as a merchant in 1882.

Halsey was a member of the Republican committee of Missouri from 1896 to 1898, and a delegate to the state Republican convention in 1896, 1908, and 1912. From 1902 to 1904, he served as mayor of Holden; he moved to Sedalia after his term, where he worked as a businessman. Between 1906 and 1910, he was a member of the Missouri State Roads Commission. He briefly lived in Glendale, California in 1910, then returned to join the Holden Board of Education until 1912. From 1928 to 1932, he was a member of the State Normal School board of regents. In Congress, he was noted for his agricultural policy, with him conferencing with the United States Department of Agriculture. His views skewed toward the benefit of consumers, such as in 1929, when he voted against an agricultural tariff, and in 1930, when he investigated margarine manufacturers.

Halsey lost reelection to his predecessor, Clement C. Dickinson, in 1930. Following his tenure, he resumed his work as a businessman in Holden. He died on March 17, 1951, aged 87, in Westfield, New Jersey, He is buried at the Holden Cemetery.

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