David Preston Thompson (November 8, 1834 – December 14, 1901) was an American businessman and politician in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

. He was governor of the

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

from 1875 to 1876. A native of

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 ...

, he immigrated to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

in 1853. In

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, Thompson would become a wealthy business man, and served in the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

, as both 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 ...

and 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, both before and after his time in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, with election to both chambers of the legislature. 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 ...

he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, but remained in Oregon and did not see any action. In his later years, the father of three served as mayor of

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, and as United States minister to the Ottoman Empire. A Republican for most of his political career, he was a presidential elector for the party, and in 1890 was its candidate for

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

. ''

Thompson Elk Fountain ''Thompson Elk Fountain'', also known as the David P. Thompson Fountain,. David P. Thompson Monument, Elk Fountain, the Thompson Elk, or simply ''Elk'', is a historic fountain and bronze sculpture by American artist Roland Hinton Perry. The founta ...

'', a statue and fountain in the middle of Main Street in

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found. ...

, was donated by him to the city, and a city park in Northeast Portland is named in his honor.

Early life

David Thompson was born on November 8, 1834, in Cadiz, Ohio. His parents, Joseph Thompson and Betsey Thompson, were of Irish and Scottish descent. Early in his life he was an apprentice blacksmith and later a surveyor for railroad lines. In 1853 at the age of 19, Thompson moved to the

while herding sheep across the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

for Colonel R. R. Thompson.

Oregon

In Oregon, he helped build the a railroad around

Willamette Falls The Willamette Falls is a natural waterfall on the Willamette River between Oregon City and West Linn, Oregon, in the United States. It is the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States by volume, and the seventeenth widest in the wor ...

near Oregon City, which was the first railroad in Oregon. He was then appointed as a deputy surveyor for the United States to survey public lands in both the Oregon and Washington territories, serving until 1863. With the outbreak of the

in 1861 Thompson enlisted in the

where he rose to the rank of captain in the

First Oregon Cavalry The First Regiment Oregon volunteer Cavalry was a volunteer regiment in United States service Union army that was formed in response to the American Civil War. With men recruited in Oregon and some recruited in surrounding states, the regiment p ...

. Due to the distance between engagements in the east and Oregon, the unit never saw action in the war. Later Thompson engaged in various business interests including mining, railroads (including the

Oregon Railway and Navigation Company The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a railroad that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a ...

), banking, and manufacturing.

Politics

In 1868, Thompson served in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

representing district 3 and

Clackamas County Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

as a Republican. At the next session in 1870 he served as a Democrat representing district 16 and Multnomah County. In 1874, he was appointed by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

as the governor of

, beginning service in 1875. While governor Thompson oversaw several mail contracts, he maintained his residence in Oregon and made only brief trips to Idaho Territory. He resigned the post, at Grant's request, in the summer of 1876. In 1878, he returned to the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

as a Republican representing Multnomah County. He was elected Mayor of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

on June 16, 1879, and reelected June 20, 1881, serving until 1882. In 1884, Thompson was a presidential elector for the Republican Party and

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

. After an absence from that body he was elected again and served there in 1889. In 1890 he was the Republican nominee for Oregon Governor, but lost the election. Then in 1892 President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

appointed Thompson as United States minister to the Ottoman Empire where he served until resigning in 1893.

Family and later life

In 1861, Thompson married Mary R. Meldrum with whom he would father three children: Bessie, Genevieve, and Ralph. Thompson served as a regent to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and as president of the Oregon Humane Society. In 1891, the

Portland Public Library Portland Public Library is the main library of the public library system in Portland, Maine, USA. It is located at 5 Monument Square on Congress Street in the Old Port of Portland, Maine. The library has three neighborhood branches, Burban ...

was founded, with Thompson serving as its first president.Gunselman, Cheryl. Pioneering Free Library Service for the City, 1864–1902: The Library Association of Portland and the Portland Public Library. ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'', September 22, 2002. p. 320 Vol. 103 No. 3 He donated a fountain to the city of Portland that is downtown, and after his death his family donated a statue by the sculptor Herman A. MacNeil named ''

Coming of the White Man ''Coming of the White Man'' is a bronze sculpture by American artist Hermon Atkins MacNeil, installed in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon in the United States. The statue was gifted to the City of Portland in 1904 by former mayor David P. Thomp ...

'' that stands in Washington Park. The fountain, called ''

'', is located in the middle of Main Street in the Plaza Blocks downtown, designed by sculptor

Roland Hinton Perry Roland Hinton Perry (January 25, 1870 – October 27, 1941)"New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WRL-TLD : 20 March 2015), Roland Perry, 27 Oct 1941; citing Death, ...

. On July 2, 2020, the elk statue was separated from the fountain and removed for safekeeping after the granite fountain was set on fire amid ongoing George Floyd Protests. The bronze statue itself was largely undamaged. The granite components of the fountain were deconstructed and removed to safekeeping later in July, although components were destroyed by the City in the process. In addition, Thompson Park in Northeast Portland is named in Thompson's honor.City of Portland: Thompson Park
/ref> David P. Thompson died December 14, 1901, in

, and his cremated remains were interred at River View Cemetery.

References

External links

Painting of Thompson
(public domain?) {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, David P. 1834 births 1901 deaths People from Cadiz, Ohio Mayors of Portland, Oregon Oregon state senators Members of the Oregon House of Representatives 1884 United States presidential electors Governors of Idaho Territory Oregon pioneers American surveyors Oregon Republicans Oregon Democrats Ambassadors of the United States to the Ottoman Empire American people of Scottish descent American people of Irish descent People of Oregon in the American Civil War 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians Idaho Republicans