Chevalier John Enoch Thompson (1846 – November 29, 1932) was a prominent citizen of Toronto. He was a politician, diplomat, writer, and businessman.

Biography

He was born in

Durham, England Durham ( , locally ), is a cathedral city and civil parish on the River Wear, County Durham, England. It is an administrative centre of the County Durham District, which is a successor to the historic County Palatine of Durham (which is dif ...

in 1846 and moved to Toronto in 1870 with his six other brothers. His brother was

Ernest Thompson Seton Ernest Thompson Seton (born Ernest Evan Thompson August 14, 1860 – October 23, 1946) was an English-born Canadian-American author, wildlife artist, founder of the Woodcraft Indians in 1902 (renamed Woodcraft League of America), and one of ...

(who changed his surname to commemorate his ancestors the Earls of Winton) was a prominent naturalist and one of the best known Canadian writers of the period. Thompson's primary occupation was in real estate, and he was a prominent developer. He organized the first scheme in Toronto that allowed people to buy property on credit. He was elected to city council in the 1890s, serving one term. He was a long time campaigner against the strict restrictions on Sunday activities that were being imposed in Toronto at the time, such as a ban on tobogganing in city parks on a Sunday. He was also an early advocate for the creation of the

St. Lawrence Seaway The St. Lawrence Seaway (french: la Voie Maritime du Saint-Laurent) is a system of locks, canals, and channels in Canada and the United States that permits oceangoing vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes of North Americ ...

. In the

1908 Toronto municipal election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

he ran for a position on the Toronto Board of Control, but finished with few votes. His most prominent role was serving as a consul in Toronto for a series of countries,

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

, Cuba, and finally Spain. He was a Knight Commander of the Liberian

Humane Order of African Redemption The Humane Order of African Redemption, an order presented by the government of Liberia, was founded on January 13, 1879 during the presidency of Anthony W. Gardiner. It is awarded for humanitarian work in Liberia, for acts supporting and assist ...

and a Chevalier of the Spanish Order of Charles III. One of his trips to Spain resulted in the travelogue ''Seven Weeks in Sunny Spain.'' Thompson is also responsible for the

Whirlpool Aero Car The Whirlpool Aero Car or Spanish Aero Car is a cable car located in Niagara Falls, Ontario that transports passengers over a section of the Niagara River referred to as the Niagara Whirlpool. The system was designed by Spanish engineer Leona ...

that continues to run at Niagara Falls. He developed it as a tourist venture, and recruited Spanish engineer Leonardo Torres y Quevedo to design it. The spot the car leaves from is named Thompson Point in his honour. Among his children were etiquette writer Gertrude Pringle.

References

*"Chevalier J. Enoch Thompson Dies in 87th Year." ''Toronto Daily Star''. November 30, 1932 pg. 30 {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, J. Enoch Toronto city councillors 1932 deaths 1846 births