Thomas McIntosh was a Democratic politician from Philadelphia who served as a member of the Philadelphia City Council for three terms, from his initial election in 1959 until his defeat in 1972. Born and raised in North Philadelphia, he attended Temple University and Lincoln University before being drafted to the military during World War II. He became involved in politics, and became a committeeman in the 29th ward. When Raymond Pace Alexander retired from the 5th municipal district, McIntosh was selected to replace him.

Raymond Pace Alexander was an American civil rights leader, lawyer, politician, and the first African American judge appointed to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he became the first black graduate of the Wharton School of Business in 1920. After graduation from Harvard Law School in 1923, Alexander became one of the leading civil rights attorneys in Philadelphia. He gained prominence as a black lawyer willing to fight for equal rights in the Berwyn desegregation case and represented black defendants in other high-profile cases, including the Trenton Six, a group of black men arrested for murder in Trenton, New Jersey.