Thomas Stephen Foley was a distinguished American lawyer and politician who represented Washington's 5th congressional district for three decades. A member of the Democratic Party, he rose through the ranks to become the 49th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1989 to 1995. During his tenure, he presided over significant legislation but famously lost his own seat in the 1994 'Republican Revolution,' a rare event for a sitting Speaker. After leaving Congress, he served as the United States Ambassador to Japan from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton.