Martín Jacobo Thompson (1777–1819) was an Argentine patriot, who had an active participation during the English invasions, and the Revolution of May. He is considered the founder of the Argentine Naval Prefecture.

Biography

Martín Jacobo Thompson was educated at the Royal College of San Carlos, and also in London,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In 1796, he entered the Naval Academy in Ferrol. On July 11, 1800, he began his military career in the Spanish

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...

. Thompson had participated in the defense of the city during the British invasion in Montevideo, where he was wounded, and in Rio de la Plata, where captured several enemy brigs, being promoted to the rank of

ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

of the Spanish Armada. He was one of the promoters of the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

of 1810, and attended the

Cabildo Abierto The open cabildo (Spanish: ''cabildo abierto'') is a traditional Hispanic American political action for convening citizens to make important decisions. It is comparable to the North American town hall meeting. History Colonial period The open c ...

on May 22. He was appointed by the

Primera Junta The Primera Junta ( en, First Junta) or ''Junta Provisional Gubernativa de las Provincias del Río de la Plata'' (''Provisional Governing Junta of the Provinces of the Río de la Plata''), is the most common name given to the first government of ...

as Captain of the

port of Buenos Aires The Port of Buenos Aires ( es, Puerto de Buenos Aires) is the principal maritime port in Argentina. Operated by the ''Administración General de Puertos'' (General Ports Administration), a state enterprise, it is the leading transshipment point fo ...

, where he served until 1815. In 1813 Thompson held the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1816. That year, he was appointed by the Supreme Director,

Ignacio Álvarez Thomas José Ignacio Álvarez Thomas (15 February 1787 – 20 July 1857) was a South American military commander and politician of the early 19th century. Biography Álvarez Thomas was born in Arequipa, Peru, and his family lived for some time in Li ...

, to a diplomatic mission to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He arrived in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in August 1816, with the intention of meeting with President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

. However, Madison was on vacation, so Thompson decided to travel to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he started negotiations for the purchase of war material. Martín Jacobo Thompson died on October 23, 1819, at sea.

Family

Martín Jacobo was the son of William Paul Thompson, born in 1721 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and Tiburcia Valeriana López, a criolla, born in Buenos Aires, who was a descendant of Pedro Sánchez Rendón. His father had arrived in Buenos Aires in 1750. He belonged to the elite of English

merchants A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry ...

, who were established in

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. Martín Thompson had married on July 29, 1805, with

Mariquita Sánchez Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson y de Mendeville, also known as Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson (1 November 1786 – 23 October 1868), was an Argentine socialite and activist from Buenos Aires. She was one of the city's leading ''salonnières'', who ...

, daughter of Cecilio Sánchez de Velasco and María Magdalena Trillo y Cárdenas, belonging to a distinguished family. His wife descended from distinguished lineages of the Río de la Plata, including Melchor Casco de Mendoza, and the Portuguese family of Gonzalez de Mora and Ines Nuñez Cabral (sister of Margarida Cabral de Melo). Thompson and Mariquita Sánchez were parents of five children: Clementina (1805), Juan Thompson b. 1809 (educated in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, Magdalena (1811), Florencia Martina (1812), and Albina Dolores born on February 28, 1815.

References

External links

www.todo-argentina.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Martin Jacobo 1777 births 1819 deaths Spanish military personnel Argentine Army officers Argentine colonels Argentine people of English descent Argentine people of Spanish descent 19th-century Spanish military personnel 19th-century Argentine military personnel Río de la Plata