Annie Emma Thompson, Lady Thompson (née Affleck; June 26, 1842 – April 10, 1913) was the wife of Sir John Thompson, the fourth

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

. She was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, to James Affleck, a sea captain, and Catherine Saunders. She was the eldest of eight children. She has been described by historians as a high-spirited young woman who resembled Catherine Linton in

Emily Brontë Emily Jane Brontë (, commonly ; 30 July 1818 – 19 December 1848) was an English writer best known for her 1847 novel, ''Wuthering Heights''. She also co-authored a book of poetry with her sisters Charlotte Brontë, Charlotte and Anne Bront� ...

's ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is the only novel by the English author Emily Brontë, initially published in 1847 under her pen name "Ellis Bell". It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the ...

''. She married Thompson in 1870 in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. Their first child, a son, was

stillborn Stillbirth is typically defined as fetal death at or after 20 or 28 weeks of pregnancy, depending on the source. It results in a baby born without signs of life. A stillbirth can often result in the feeling of guilt or grief in the mother. T ...

on September 3, 1871. They had eight more children: #John Thomas Connolly Thompson (1872–1952) #Joseph Thompson (1874–1935) #Mary Aloysia (Babe) Thompson (1876–1917) #Mary Helena Thompson (1878–1944) #Annie Mary Thompson (1879–1880) #unknown name (died at birth, December 7, 1880) #Frances Alice (Frankie) Thompson (1881–1947) #David Anthony Thompson (1883–1885) In 1882, when John Thompson was concerned about losing an electoral battle in

Antigonish Antigonish ( ; ) is a town in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The town is home to St. Francis Xavier University and the oldest continuous Highland games outside Scotland. It is approximately 160 kilometres (100 miles) northeast of Hal ...

, Annie wrote him to say that "I wish I could be with you for one ten minutes to talk square to you...So keep up your courage... win or lose they can't keep you from me much longer...So now you must not be such an awful baby until you get home and then I'll see how far you can be indulged." John Thompson was appointed to the

Supreme Court of Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...

in 1882. When he was offered the opportunity to become

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in 1885, Annie Thompson encouraged him to leave that bunch of "sere old crows" (her words) on the Nova Scotia bench and get out into a world which would better test and demonstrate his talents. The Thompson family finally moved to Ottawa in 1888, and John Thompson became

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

in 1892. On December 12, 1894, John Thompson died of a heart attack in Windsor Castle at the age of 49. He left a very small estate, and the Lady Thompson Fund was begun that month as a private subscription for the children. Lady Thompson moved to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1895. Friends, including Lady Aberdeen and

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

Frank Smith, aided her in finding housing and establishing herself. She lived at St Joseph Street, and became a member of the nearby St Basil's Roman Catholic Church. In hospital in 1913 for exploratory surgery, she was diagnosed with inoperable

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

and died on the operating table. She was buried in

Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery at 305 Erskine Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Mount Hope was created near the end of the 19th Century when the Archdiocese of Toronto was faced with a capacity issue at St. Michae ...

in Toronto (her husband was buried at

Holy Cross Cemetery, Halifax Holy Cross Cemetery is a cemetery in City of Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia, owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. It was constructed in 1843 under the direction of William Walsh (archbishop of Halifax), Archbis ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Annie 1842 births 1913 deaths Spouses of prime ministers of Canada John Sparrow David Thompson Canadian socialites Politicians from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canadian people of British descent

See also

References