john william edinburgh thomas ( may 1, 1847 – december 18, 1899) was an illinois politician active in the mid to late nineteenth century. born into slavery in alabama and freed during the civil war, he migrated to chicago, where he became a prominent community leader and in 1876 was the first african american elected to the illinois general assembly. thomas was instrumental in passage of illinois' first anti-discrimination in public accommodations law, which he introduced in 1885.