John Burton Thompson (December 14, 1810 – January 7, 1874) was a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

Early life

Born near

Harrodsburg, Kentucky Harrodsburg is a home rule-class city in Mercer County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 9,064 at the 2020 census. Although Harrodsburg was formally established by the House of Burgesses after Boonesbo ...

, Thompson completed preparatory studies and studied law. He was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar ( ...

and practiced in Harrodsburg, becoming the

Commonwealth's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

Political career

Kentucky Legislature

Thompson was elected to the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...

in 1829 and served until 1833. In 1835, Thompson was elected to the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

where he served two, two-year terms.

House of Representatives

In 1840, Thompson was elected as a Whig to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

to fill the vacancy in Kentucky's 5th District caused by the death of

Simeon H. Anderson Simeon H. Anderson (March 2, 1802 – August 11, 1840) was a slave owner and United States Representative from Kentucky. He was born near Lancaster, Kentucky, where he pursued preparatory studies. In addition, he studied law and was admitted to th ...

. He was subsequently reelected in 1842 and served until March 3, 1843. After a time out of Congress, he was again elected to represent the same district, serving this time from March 4, 1847 to March 3, 1851. During this time he was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Militia.

Lieutenant Governor

Thompson was the 14th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1852.

United States Senate

In 1852, Thompson was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

as a member of the Know-Nothing party. He served from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1859.

Death

Thompson died in Harrodsburg and was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery. Hon

References

Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, John Burton 1810 births 1874 deaths People from Harrodsburg, Kentucky Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky Kentucky Know Nothings Know-Nothing United States senators from Kentucky Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorneys Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives Kentucky state senators