Andrew Thorburn Thompson (May 27, 1870 – April 20, 1939) was a Canadian military officer, editor, lawyer and a third generation political figure of Canada. Thompson was born in Seneca Township and raised at Ruthven Park Estate, now designated as Ruthven Park National Historic Site; located just north of

Cayuga, Ontario Cayuga ( ) is an unincorporated community and county seat of Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada located at the intersection of Highway 3 and Munsee Street and along the Grand River. Cayuga is about a 20-minute drive from Lake Erie and 30 minutes so ...

. His father, David Thompson was a businessman and political figure who sat in the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...

and then the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

. His grandfather, also named David, had sat in the 1st and 2nd Legislative Assemblies for the

United Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

representing Haldimand County. A lawyer and editor, he was elected to the House of Commons as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Haldimand and Monck in the 1900 federal election defeating former Conservative

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

minister

Walter Humphries Montague Walter Humphries Montague, (November 21, 1858 – November 14, 1915) was a Canadian politician. He was a federal cabinet minister in the governments of Mackenzie Bowell and Charles Tupper, and subsequently a provincial cabinet minister in ...

by less than 150 votes. Due to redistribution, Thompson's riding was abolished and in the 1904 federal election, he ran for re-election in the redrawn district of

Haldimand Haldimand may refer to: People * Frederick Haldimand (1718–1791), Swiss-born army officer and governor of Quebec * Peter Frederick Haldimand (1741 or 1742–1765), Swiss-born British army officer and surveyor * William Haldimand (1784–1862), d ...

but was defeated by his Conservative opponent by less than 300 votes. During World War I, Thompson was

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 114th Regiment composed of white and First Nations soldiers from Thompson's home region of the Haldimand County area. In 1923, he was chosen by the deputy superintendent general of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to lead a one-man inquiry into the disturbances on a Six Nations reserve and the demands by Cayuga nation hereditary chief Deskaheh for recognition of the rights of his people after he threatened to take his complaints to the League of Nations along with demands for an independent state under Article 17 of the League's Covenant. As Thompson had commanded Iroquois soldiers during World War I he was seen as a mediator who could be trusted by both sides. However, Thompson'
Commission to Investigate and Report upon the Affairs of the Six Nations Indians issued a report
that recommended that the hereditary council that governed the reserve be replaced by an elected council thus depriving Deskaheh of his right to speak for the Six Nations. The new council was elected in October 1924.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Andrew Thorburn 1870 births 1939 deaths Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Lawyers in Ontario People from Haldimand County