EXHIBIT 31.1

                     CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 302
                        OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Timothy C. Brown, certify that:

         1. I  have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on  Form  10-Q of Thomas
Industries Inc.;

         2. Based on my knowledge,  this  quarterly  report does not contain any
untrue  statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary
to make the  statements  made,  in light of the  circumstances  under which such
statements  were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
quarterly report;

         3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information  included in this quarterly  report,  fairly present in all material
respects the financial  condition,  results of operations  and cash flows of the
registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

         4. The registrant's  other certifying officer and I are responsible for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

                  a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused
         such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to be  designed  under our
         supervision,  to  ensure  that  material  information  relating  to the
         registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries,  is made known to
         us by others within those entities,  particularly  during the period in
         which this quarterly report is being prepared; and

                  b) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's  disclosure
         controls and  procedures,  and presented in this report our conclusions
         about the effectiveness of the disclosures controls and procedures,  as
         of the  end of  the  period  covered  by  this  report  based  on  such
         evaluation; and

                  c)  disclosed  in this  report any change in the  registrant's
         internal  control over  financial  reporting  that occurred  during the
         registrant's most recent  fiscal quarter that has materially  affected,
         or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal
         control over financial reporting; and

         5. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I have  disclosed,
based  on  our  most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
reporting,  to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's
board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

                  a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
         design or operation of internal control over  financial reporting which
         are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant's  ability to
         record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

                  b)  any  fraud,   whether  or  not  material,   that  involves
         management  or  other  employees  who  have a  significant  role in the
         registrant's internal control over financial reporting.


Date:  May 10, 2004

                                                  /s/ Timothy C. Brown
                                                  ------------------------------
                                                  Timothy C. Brown
                                                  Chairman, President & CEO

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