Albert Clifton Thompson (January 23, 1842 – January 26, 1910) was 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 ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio The United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (in case citations, S.D. Ohio) is one of two United States district courts in Ohio and includes forty-eight of the state's eighty-eight counties–everything from the Columbus are ...

Education and career

Born on January 23, 1842, in Brookville, Jefferson County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, Thompson attended the common schools and Jefferson College in

Canonsburg Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town lies in a rich coal distri ...

, Pennsylvania (now

Washington & Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origin to three log cabin colleges in Washington County established by three Presbyterian missionaries to ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Pennsylvania) and began the study of law. He served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of Company B, One Hundred and Fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Company K in the same regiment on November 28, 1861. He served until March 23, 1863, when he was discharged on account of wounds received in the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

. He resumed the study of law and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in 1864, being admitted to the bar on December 13, 1864. He entered private practice in Brookville in 1864. He continued private practice in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

from 1865 to 1870. He was a Judge of the

Scioto County Scioto County is a county located along the Ohio River in the south central region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,008. Its county seat is Portsmouth. The county was founded March 24, 1804, from Adams ...

, Ohio Probate Court from 1870 to 1873. He resumed private practice in Portsmouth from 1873 to 1881. He was a Judge of the Ohio Court of Common Pleas for the Seventh Judicial District from 1881 to 1884.

Congressional service

Thompson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the 49th, 50th and

51st United States Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...

es, serving from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1891. He was elected from

Ohio's 12th congressional district Ohio's 12th congressional district is a United States List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in central Ohio, covering Delaware County, Ohio, Delaware County, Morrow County, Ohio, Morrow County, and Licking County ...

for his first term and from Ohio's 11th congressional district for his two subsequent terms. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1890. He resumed private practice in Portsmouth from 1891 to 1898. He was appointed by President McKinley as Chairman of the commission to revise and codify the criminal and penal laws of the United States on June 21, 1897.

Federal judicial service

Thompson received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...

from President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

on September 23, 1898, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge George Read Sage. He was nominated to the same position by President McKinley on December 13, 1898. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

on December 20, 1898, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 26, 1910, due to his death in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, Ohio. He was interred in Greenlawn Cemetery in Portsmouth.

References

External links

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Albert Clifton 1842 births 1910 deaths People from Brookville, Pennsylvania Ohio state court judges People from Portsmouth, Ohio Union Army officers Washington & Jefferson College alumni Ohio lawyers Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States federal judges appointed by William McKinley 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio