Full Name: Clarence Thomas 

Known As: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 

Nickname: N/A 

Father: M.C. Thomas 

Mother: Leola Anderson Thomas 

Wife: Kathy Ambush (1971-1984), Virginia Lamp (1987-present) 

Mistress: N/A 

Daughter: Jamal Adeen Thomas 

Son: N/A 

Date of Birth: June 23, 1948 

Birth Place: Pin Point, near Savannah, Georgia, U.S. 

Gender: Male 

Zodiac Sign: Cancer 

Religion: Roman Catholic 

Race or Ethnicity: African American 

Education: College of the Holy Cross (AB), Yale University (JD) 

Nationality: American 

Influenced: Conservative and libertarian movements, originalism and textualism in constitutional interpretation 

Major Writings: My Grandfather’s Son (2007), The Supreme Court Opinions of Clarence Thomas (2013) 

Occupation: Lawyer, judge, jurist


Career: Clarence Thomas began his career as an assistant attorney general in Missouri (1974-1977), where he met Senator John C. Danforth, who became his mentor and patron. He then worked as a lawyer for Monsanto Company (1977-1979) and as a legislative assistant to Danforth (1979-1981). He joined the Reagan administration as an assistant secretary in the Department of Education (1981-1982) and then as the chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC; 1982-1990), where he enforced civil rights laws but also criticized affirmative action and racial quotas. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where he served for less than a year before being nominated by Bush to replace Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court in 1991. His confirmation hearings were marked by controversy over his conservative views and allegations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill, a former colleague at the EEOC. He was confirmed by a narrow vote of 52-48 and became the second African American to serve on the court. As a justice, he has been known for his adherence to originalism and textualism in interpreting the Constitution, his frequent dissents from the majority opinions, and his reluctance to ask questions during oral arguments. He has also been a staunch defender of individual rights, states’ rights, religious liberty, and gun rights, and a critic of abortion rights, federal regulations, campaign finance laws, and affirmative action.


Early Life & Childhood: Clarence Thomas was born on June 23, 1948, in Pin Point, a small town near Savannah, Georgia. He was the second of three children of M.C. Thomas and Leola Anderson Thomas. His father abandoned the family when he was two years old, and his mother worked as a maid to support them. When he was seven years old, their house burned down and his mother remarried. Thomas and his younger brother Myers were sent to live with their maternal grandparents, Myers and Christine Anderson, who were devout Catholics and owned a fuel oil business. Thomas attended an all-black Catholic school run by white nuns until eighth grade. He then enrolled in a boarding-school seminary in Savannah, where he was one of only three African American students. He graduated as valedictorian in 1967.


Personal Life & Family: Clarence Thomas married Kathy Ambush in 1971 while he was attending Yale Law School. They had one child together, Jamal Adeen Thomas, who was born in 1973. The couple divorced in 1984 amid rumors of infidelity by Thomas. In 1987, he married Virginia Lamp, a lawyer, and conservative activist who later founded Liberty Central, a political advocacy group that supported the Tea Party movement. They live in McLean, Virginia.


Later Life & Death: Clarence Thomas is still serving on the Supreme Court as of 2023. He is the longest-serving justice on the current court and one of the most influential conservative jurists in American history. He has not indicated any plans to retire or resign from his position.


Some Unknown Information:

  • He grew up speaking Gullah, a Creole language spoken by African Americans along the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
  • He converted to Catholicism at age six but left the church after experiencing racism from white priests