Thomas Weston Thompson (March 15, 1766October 1, 1821) was an American attorney and
Federalist politician in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
. He served as a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
during the 1800s.
Early life and career
Thompson was born 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 ...
in the
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of ...
, the son of Thomas and Isabella Thompson. The family moved to
Newburyport, Massachusetts, when Thompson was young.
He attended
Dummer Academy in
Byfield, Massachusetts, and served as an aide to
General Lincoln during
Shays' Rebellion.
Thompson graduated from
Harvard University
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 high ...
in 1786 and began studying for the ministry. He was a tutor at Harvard from 1789 to 1791.
He
read law, was admitted to the
bar in 1791 and practiced law in
Salisbury, New Hampshire
Salisbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2020 census.
History
While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as "Baker's Town" after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After the bo ...
, from 1791 to 1810. Among the younger men he mentored was
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...
, who started as a law apprentice with him around 1801.
Thompson was appointed
postmaster of Salisbury, serving from 1798 to 1803. He served for more than two decades as a trustee of
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...
, from 1801 to 1821.
Political career
In 1810, Thompson moved to
Concord, New Hampshire where he continued the practice of law. He was elected as a member of the
New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving from 1807 to 1808. He was treasurer of New Hampshire in 1810.
He was reelected to serve in the State House from 1813 to 1814 and elected Speaker.
Thompson was elected as a Federalist to the
Ninth U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1807. He was appointed state treasurer of New Hampshire from 1809 to 1811. Thompson was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Nicholas Gilman, serving from June 24, 1814 to March 3, 1817.
He died in Concord in 1821; interment was in the
Old North Cemetery.
Personal life
Thompson married Elizabeth C. Porter on December 25, 1796. They had two sons, William Coombs Thompson and Charles Edward Thompson.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Thomas
1766 births
1821 deaths
Politicians from Boston
Politicians from Newburyport, Massachusetts
Harvard University alumni
New Hampshire postmasters
Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Speakers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
United States senators from New Hampshire
Federalist Party United States senators
Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire
Lawyers from Boston
American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American lawyers
The Governor's Academy alumni