Pulaski-Izard County ArArchives Biographies.....Helm, Thomas E. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/arfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Robert Sanchez http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00027.html#0006574 July 17, 2009, 8:45 pm Author: S. J. Clarke (Publisher, 1922) THOMAS E. HELM. Thomas E. Helm, attorney at law, practicing independently in Little Rock, was born at LaCrosse, Izard county, Arkansas, on the 1st of January, 1874, his parents being David N. and Mary A. (Hesterly) Helm, who were natives of Kentucky and Missouri, respectively. In his early childhood the father accompanied his parents to Tennessee, where the period of his minority was passed and soon afterward he accompanied his widowed mother to Arkansas, where they established their home just prior to the outbreak of the Civil war. Becoming a resident of Izard county, David N. Helm, when nineteen years of age, joined the Confederate army as a member of an Arkansas regiment and later he was transferred to the army of the Tennessee. He proved gallant and his courage was demonstrated on many a southern battle field. He participated in the engagements at Shiloh and at Murfreesboro and in many other hotly contested battles of the war, including much of the fighting in and near Chattanooga and in other sections of Tennessee. He was also actively engaged in the Atlanta campaign and was with Hood's army in the battles of Franklin and Nashville, following the engagement at Atlanta. When the war was over he returned to his home in Izard county and there concentrated his efforts and attention upon mercantile pursuits. For many years he was on the road as a traveling salesman and eventually took up his abode in Batesville, Independence county, Arkansas, where he lastly lived retired until his death, which occurred May 1, 1904. His widow is still a resident of that place. They reared a family of two sons and two daughters, all of whom are living. Thomas E. Helm largely acquired his education in the schools of his native town. He attended the public schools until he had completed the regular course and later became a student in the LaCrosse Collegiate Institute. In 1893 he matriculated in Hendrix College, at Conway, and was there graduated as a member of the class of 1896, at which time the Bachelor of Arts degree was conferred upon him. He then entered upon the profession of teaching and for three years occupied the position of principal of the high school at Clarendon, Monroe county, but he regarded this merely as an initial step to other professional labor. He proved a capable teacher, imparting clearly and readily to others the knowledge he had acquired, hut his desire to become a member of the legal profession led him to enroll as a law student in the University of Arkansas and there he completed his course as a member of the class of 1900, at which time the Bachelor of Laws degree was conferred upon him. Immediately afterward he was admitted to practice in all the courts of Arkansas and took up the active work of the profession in connection with De E. Bradshaw. In 1907 they were joined by Lewis Rhoton, forming the firm of Bradshaw, Rhoton & Helm, which firm was continued until November, 1916. At that time Mr. Bradshaw moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where he engaged in the practice of his profession and Lewis Rhoton and Thomas Helm continued in the practice, separately, at Little Rock. In all of his professional work Mr. Helm displays a thorough grasp of the law and ability accurately to apply its principles and these qualities make him an effective and successful advocate, at a bar which numbers many distinguished representatives. Politically Mr. Helm has always been a democrat and loyally supports the principles of the party, but has never aspired to office. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias and is a worthy follower of the teachings of these societies, exemplifying in his life the beneficent spirit upon which the orders are based. A lifelong resident of Arkansas, he has made wise use of the opportunities accorded him and has steadily advanced to a most creditable position in the legal profession, in which progress depends entirely upon individual merit and ability. Additional Comments: Citation: Centennial History of Arkansas Volume II Chicago-Little Rock: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1922 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ar/pulaski/bios/helm222bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/arfiles/ File size: 4.7 Kb