![Robert Means Thompson 3c25612v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Robert_Means_Thompson_3c25612v.jpg)
Robert Means Thompson (2 March 1849 – 5 September 1930) was a
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
officer,
business magnate
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
,
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and a president of the
American Olympic Association. He is the namesake of the
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
USS ''Thompson'' (DD-627).
Biography
He was born in
Corsica, Pennsylvania
Corsica is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 357 at the 2010 census. It was named for the island of Corsica, birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. The mayor of the borough is Dave Leadbetter.
Geography
Cor ...
, to John Jamison Thompson and Agnes Kennedy. He was appointed to the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
on 30 July 1864. Graduating tenth in the class of 1868, Thompson first went to sea in
''Contoocook'' in the West Indian Squadron. He later served in
''Franklin'',
''Richmond'', and
''Guard'' of the Mediterranean Squadron; as well as in
USS ''Wachusett'' and at the Naval Torpedo Station,
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...
.
Commissioned
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 ...
on 19 April 1869, and promoted to master on 12 July 1870, he resigned from the Navy on 18 November 1871, to study law in his brother's office.
After he was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1872, he was still not satisfied with his legal training so he studied law at
Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, graduating in 1874. Thompson subsequently practiced law in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
and was a member of the Boston Common Council from 1876 to 1878. He later became interested in
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
and
smelting
Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a ch ...
enterprises, by which he earned his fortune.
He was president of Orford Copper, which later merged into the
International Nickel Company of Canada
Vale Canada Limited (formerly Vale Inco, CVRD Inco and Inco Limited; for corporate branding purposes simply known as "Vale" and pronounced in English) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian mining company Vale. Vale's nickel mining and ...
, of which he served as chairman.
He was an organizer of the Navy Athletic Association and the donor of the Thompson Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the annual
Army–Navy Game
The Army–Navy Game is an American college football rivalry game between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapo ...
. His interest in sport then extended to the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, and was twice president of the American Olympic Association, once for the
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...
, and again for the
1924 games.
In 1912, he was also elected president of the
New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...
.
He also helped to organize the New York Chapter of the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and served as its first president and as a trustee of the Naval Academy Alumni Association at
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
.
Thompson was president of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and president of the Navy League. He also visited
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
at the invitation of the Japanese government and was awarded the
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...
, Second Class, by the Emperor. He also received the
Order of Vasa
The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...
by the government of
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and the Cross of Commander,
French Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
, by the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
government.
Thompson became a companion of the
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...
(MOLLUS) in 1874 through the Massachusetts commandery. He was active in MOLLUS affairs and was elected commander in chief October 27, 1927, and served in that capacity until his death.
He was also a companion of the
Naval Order of the United States The Naval Order of the United States was established in 1890 as a hereditary organization in the United States for members of the American sea services. Its primary mission is to encourage research and writing on naval and maritime subjects and pr ...
.
He co-edited the ''Confidential Correspondence of Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy'' for the Navy Historical Society.
Robert Means Thompson was married to Sarah Gibbs, daughter of Rhode Island governor,
William C. Gibbs. They had one daughter, Sarah Gibbs Thompson. He died while visiting his daughter and her husband,
Stephen Hyatt Pell, at
Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French mi ...
, New York.
He memorial service was held at the chapel of the
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
and he is buried with his wife in the churchyard of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merged ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Robert Means
1849 births
1930 deaths
Harvard Law School alumni
United States Naval Academy alumni
United States Navy officers
Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class
Recipients of the Order of Vasa
Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur
Presidents of the United States Olympic Committee
Businesspeople from Pennsylvania
Presidents of the New York Athletic Club