Thomas Weston Thompson (March 15, 1766October 1, 1821) was an American attorney and Federalist politician in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. He served as 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

United States Senator 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 powe ...

during the 1800s.

Early life and career

Thompson was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...

, the son of Thomas and Isabella Thompson. The family moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts, when Thompson was young. He attended Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, and served as an aide to General Lincoln during Shays' Rebellion. Thompson graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 1786 and began studying for the ministry. He was a tutor at Harvard from 1789 to 1791. He read law, was admitted to the bar in 1791 and practiced law in

Salisbury, New Hampshire Salisbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2020 census. History While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as "Baker's Town" after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After the bo ...

, from 1791 to 1810. Among the younger men he mentored was

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

, who started as a law apprentice with him around 1801. Thompson was appointed postmaster of Salisbury, serving from 1798 to 1803. He served for more than two decades as a trustee of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

, from 1801 to 1821.

Political career

In 1810, Thompson moved to Concord, New Hampshire where he continued the practice of law. He was elected as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving from 1807 to 1808. He was treasurer of New Hampshire in 1810. He was reelected to serve in the State House from 1813 to 1814 and elected Speaker. Thompson was elected as a Federalist to the Ninth U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807. He was appointed state treasurer of New Hampshire from 1809 to 1811. Thompson was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas Gilman, serving from June 24, 1814 to March 3, 1817. He died in Concord in 1821; interment was in the Old North Cemetery.

Personal life

Thompson married Elizabeth C. Porter on December 25, 1796. They had two sons, William Coombs Thompson and Charles Edward Thompson.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Thomas 1766 births 1821 deaths Politicians from Boston Politicians from Newburyport, Massachusetts Harvard University alumni New Hampshire postmasters Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Speakers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives United States senators from New Hampshire Federalist Party United States senators Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire Lawyers from Boston American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers The Governor's Academy alumni