Wiley Thompson (September 23, 1781 – December 28, 1835) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. Born in Amelia County, Virginia, Thompson moved to Elberton, Georgia, and served as a commissioner of the Elbert County Academy in 1808. He served in the Georgia Senate from 1817 to 1819 and was appointed Major General of the Fourth Division of the Georgia Militia in November 1817, a position in which he served until his resignation in November 1824. Thompson was elected as a

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed l ...

to the 17th United States Congress and reelected as a Crawford Republican to the 18th Congress. Thompson was then elected as a Jacksonian to the 19th and three successive Congresses ( 20th, 21st and 22nd). His congressional tenure spanned from March 4, 1821, through March 3, 1833. After his congressional service, Thompson served as a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1833. He became an Indian agent to the Seminoles and was appointed in 1834 to superintend the removal of the Seminoles from

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. This episode of his life was artistically described by Thomas Mayne Reid in the 1858 novel ''Osceola''. Thompson was subsequently killed by a band of Seminoles led by

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...

at Fort King, Florida, on December 28, 1835, and was buried on his estate in Elberton.Smith, pp. 346-347

Notes

References

* Smith, Gordon Burns, ''History of the Georgia Militia, 1783-1861, Volume One, Campaigns and Generals'', Milledgeville: Boyd Publishing, 2000. ASIN:B003L1PRKI.

External links

Grave of General Wiley Thompson
historical marker {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Wiley 1781 births 1835 deaths People from Amelia County, Virginia People from Elberton, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) state senators United States Indian agents Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Deaths by firearm in Florida Assassinated American politicians Politicians assassinated in the 1830s Members of the United States House of Representatives who owned slaves 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly