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 The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( es, Prefectura Naval Argentina or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coa ...

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 ...

. In 1796, he entered the Naval Academy in

Ferrol Ferrol may refer to: Places * Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain * Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain ** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club * Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...

. 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 include ...

. Thompson had participated in the defense of the city during the British invasion in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern ...

, where he was wounded, and in Rio de la Plata, where captured several enemy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

s, 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 diff ...

of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an a ...

. 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 terr ...

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 f ...

, 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 ...

in 1816. That year, he was appointed by the Supreme Director, Ignacio Álvarez Thomas, 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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. He arrived in Washington, D.C., 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 U ...

, 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 Pedro Sánchez Rendón (c.1590–1658) was a Spanish politician, who served during the Viceroyalty of Peru as Mayordomo mayor, Mayordomo of Hospital, and Protected area, Protector of Natural resources and minors of Buenos Aires. Born in Jerez de ...

. 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 Commodity, commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in commerce, business or trade. Merchants have operated fo ...

, 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, 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 {{Infobox noble, type , name = Margarida Luísa Cabral de Melo , title = Fidalga of the Royal House of Portugal. , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more ...

). 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 enti ...

, 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