Thomas Stephen Foley is an American politician of the Democratic Party, having served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and ambassador to Japan. He served in the United States Congress from 1965 to 1995. His thirty-year career in Congress was notable for its length and for his steady climb up the ranks of the Congressional and party leadership. However, his defeat in the 1994 Congressional elections made him the first sitting Speaker since 1860 not to win re-election to Congress.