John Lay Thompson (April 3, 1869, Grand River Township,

Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur: *Decatur County, Georgia *Decatur County, Indiana *Decatur County, Iowa *Decatur County, Kansas *Decatur County, Tennessee *Decatur ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

– 1930) was an Iowa journalist and businessman who played a key role in the early history of the

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

newspaper the ''

Iowa Bystander The ''Iowa Bystander'' was an Iowa newspaper targeted toward an African American audience. It was founded in Des Moines on June 15, 1894, by I.E. Williamson, Billy Colson, and Jack Logan, and it is considered to be the oldest Black newspaper west ...

''. Thompson was born to Andy and Catherine Thompson in 1869, while the family lived in Decatur County. He was the first of four children (John, Eldora, Eddie), and had one older half-brother (Benjamin Sheppard).

1880 United States Census The United States census of 1880 conducted by the Census Bureau during June 1880 was the tenth United States census.Grand River Township, Decatur County, Iowa Grand River Township is a township in Decatur County, Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big ...

, reported i
a rootsweb.com mailing list
Born a slave in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, Andy Thompson was released by his master in 1862 and settled in Decatur County, Iowa. The elder Thompson put all his children through college with his earnings as a farmer on in Decatur County. Thompson graduated from Iowa Business College in 1896 and the

Drake University Law School Drake University Law School is a professional graduate law school of Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa. The school has over 330 full-time students. The school is led by Dean Jerry Anderson. Founded in 1865, Drake Law School is one of t ...

in 1898. While still a student at Drake, he took over the newly founded ''

Iowa State Bystander Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

'' from original publisher William Coalson in 1896. He stayed in

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

for the rest of his life, and over the following years, he turned the newspaper into a successful enterprise by organizing aggressive subscription drives and threatened boycotts against businesses that refused to advertise in a black newspaper. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Thompson dedicated entire issues of the ''Bystander'' to issues surrounding the

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

regiments stationed in Iowa's

Camp Dodge Camp Dodge is a military installation in the city of Johnston, Iowa, Johnston, Iowa. Centrally located near the capital of Iowa, it currently serves as the headquarters of the Iowa National Guard. History Original construction of the post began i ...

. After

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...

, Thompson met many returning black veterans, including James B. Morris. Morris took over the ''Bystander'' in 1922. In addition to his work in journalism, Thompson and his wife, Maud Watkins-Thompson, were active in Iowan society. He served as deputy county treasurer in

Polk County, Iowa Polk County is located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 492,401. It is Iowa's most populous county, and home to over 15% of the state's residents. The county seat is Des Moines, which is also the capital city ...

(dates unknown), as well as deputy clerk of the Iowa Historical building. In July 1912, he was named the Grand Master of the Colored Masons of Iowa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, John L. American male journalists African-American journalists 1869 births 1930 deaths People from Decatur County, Iowa People from Polk County, Iowa 20th-century African-American people Drake University Law School alumni