in 1882, he was elected the youngest member of the utah house of representatives, a position to which he was privileged to return for several election years in a row. thurman was also politically involved as a member of the utah constitutional convention of 1882, and as a chairman of the committee which drafted the first part of the provo people's party in 1882. as national parties began to replace these local parties, thurman, like many mormons of that era, became a democrat, as well as a judged on the supreme court of utah. it was not long before thurman sold the home to john w. taylor.