Martín Jacobo Thompson (1777–1819) was an Argentine patriot, who had an active participation during the English invasions, and the Revolution of May. He is considered the founder of the

Argentine Naval Prefecture The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coast guards, and furthermore acts ...

Biography

Martín Jacobo Thompson was educated at the Royal College of San Carlos, and also in London,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1796, he entered the Naval Academy in Ferrol. On July 11, 1800, he began his military career in the Spanish

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

. Thompson had participated in the defense of the city during the British invasion in

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, where he was wounded, and in Rio de la Plata, where captured several enemy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

s, being promoted to the rank of

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (often known as Invincible Armada, or the Enterprise of England, ) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by Alonso de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aristocrat without previous naval ...

. He was one of the promoters of the

May Revolution The May Revolution () was a week-long series of events that took place from 18 to 25 May 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the territories of present-day Argentina, ...

of 1810, and attended the

Cabildo Abierto ''Cabildo Abierto'' ( Spanish for " Open cabildo" or "Town hall meeting") is an Uruguayan political party founded in 2019. The party is described as right-wing populist, nationalist and conservative, as well as mostly characterized as far-right ...

on May 22. He was appointed by the

Primera Junta The Primera Junta ("First Junta") or ''Junta Provisional Gubernativa de las Provincias del Río de la Plata'' ("Provisional Governing Junta of the Provinces of the Río de la Plata"), is the most common name given to the first government of what ...

as Captain of the

port of Buenos Aires The Port of Buenos Aires () is the principal maritime port in Argentina. Operated by the ''Administración General de Puertos'' (General Ports Administration), a state enterprise, it is the leading transshipment point for the foreign trade of Arge ...

, where he served until 1815. In 1813 Thompson held the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in 1816. That year, he was appointed by the Supreme Director,

Ignacio Álvarez Thomas José Ignacio Álvarez Thomas (15 February 1787 – 20 July 1857) was a South American military commander and politician of the early 19th century. Biography Álvarez Thomas was born in Arequipa, Peru, and his family lived for some time in Li ...

, to a diplomatic mission to

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He arrived in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in August 1816, with the intention of meeting with President

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

. However, Madison was on vacation, so Thompson decided to travel to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where he started negotiations for the purchase of war material. Martín Jacobo Thompson died on October 23, 1819, at sea.

Family

Martín Jacobo was the son of William Paul Thompson, born in 1721 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and Tiburcia Valeriana López, a criolla, born in Buenos Aires, who was a descendant of Pedro Sánchez Rendón. His father had arrived in Buenos Aires in 1750. He belonged to the elite of English

merchants A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

, who were established in

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. Martín Thompson had married on July 29, 1805, with

Mariquita Sánchez Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson y de Mendeville, also known as Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson (1 November 1786 – 23 October 1868), was an Argentine socialite and activist from Buenos Aires. She was one of the city's leading ''salonnières'', wh ...

, daughter of Cecilio Sánchez de Velasco and María Magdalena Trillo y Cárdenas, belonging to a distinguished family. His wife descended from distinguished lineages of the Río de la Plata, including Melchor Casco de Mendoza, and the Portuguese family of Gonzalez de Mora and Ines Nuñez Cabral (sister of Margarida Cabral de Melo). Thompson and Mariquita Sánchez were parents of five children: Clementina (1805), Juan Thompson b. 1809 (educated in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, Magdalena (1811), Florencia Martina (1812), and Albina Dolores born on February 28, 1815.

References

External links

www.todo-argentina.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Martin Jacobo 1777 births 1819 deaths 18th-century Spanish naval officers 19th-century Spanish naval officers Argentine Army officers Argentine colonels Argentine people of English descent Argentine people of Spanish descent 19th-century Spanish military personnel 19th-century Argentine military personnel Río de la Plata People from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata