Fountain Land Thompson (November 18, 1854February 4, 1942) was a

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

politician who served as a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from his state.

Biography

Born in

Macoupin County, Illinois Macoupin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 44,967. The county seat is Carlinville, Illinois, Carlinville. The primary industry is agricultu ...

near Scottville, he moved to nearby Girard in 1865; he attended the public schools there and studied law and was admitted to the

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

, but did not engage in extensive practice. He was a member of the board of supervisors of Macoupin County and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

and settled on a farm near

Cando, North Dakota Cando ( ) is a city in Towner County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Towner County. The population was 1,117 at the 2020 census. Cando was founded in 1884. History Cando was founded in 1884 as the seat of the newly for ...

, in 1888. He was judge of the Towner County Court from 1890 to 1894. He engaged in the real estate business and banking in Cando and also in agricultural pursuits; was a school director and member of the Cando Board of

Aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

. He was mayor of Cando, and was appointed as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Martin N. Johnson Martin Nelson Johnson (March 3, 1850October 21, 1909) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States representative and senator from North Dakota. Early life and education Born to Norwegian immigrants in Racine County, Wi ...

and served from November 10, 1909, to January 31, 1910, when he resigned. He resumed his former business activities in Cando until his retirement in 1921; he moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

where he resided until his death in 1942 at age 87. He is only the second U.S. senator to have ever held the record of oldest living U.S. senator for two distinct intervals. This was due to the late age inauguration and subsequent passing 2 months later of

Andrew Jackson Houston Andrew Jackson Houston (June 21, 1854June 26, 1941) was an American politician who served briefly as a United States senator in 1941, appointed to temporarily fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime Senator Morris Sheppard. He was a son of ...

. Thompson's interment was in Hollywood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Fountain Mayors of places in North Dakota People from Macoupin County, Illinois 1854 births 1942 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Dakota People from Girard, Illinois 20th-century United States senators