Charles Winston Thompson
Encyclopedia
Charles Winston Thompson (December 30, 1860 – March 20, 1904) was an American
banker and politician. He served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Alabama
's 5th
district from 1901 till his death.
to William P. and Mary W. (Jordon) Thompson. His father was a confederate
soldier who went on to become mayor of Tuskegee and sheriff of Macon County
. He was educated in public schools and graduated from Tuskegee's Park High School in 1878. From there Thompson attended Bryant & Stratton Business College. Thompson married Estelle Alley on April 20, 1880. The couple had two children, Ernest W. and Charles Winston Jr., before her death on March 19, 1894. From 1886 till 1890, Thompson served as Superintendent of education
for Macon County.
Upon completion of his education, Thompson went to work at his father's mercantile business. He remained there until his father's death in 1891 when he sold the business. Thompson used the proceeds of the sale to open the Bank of Tuskegee, to which he was elected President. In 1894 Thompson helped create the Farmer's and Alliance Warehouse Company. Two years later, Governor Joseph F. Johnston
appointed Thompson to his staff as a lieutenant colonel
. He also became a Trustee to both Notasulga
's Methodist District High School and the Girl's Industrial School of Alabama.
In 1898, Thompson ran unopposed for the Alabama Senate
. There he represent the 26th district for two years during which time he helped secure a US$100,000 appropriation for the Girl's Industrial School, the largest such appropriation ever made by Alabama at the time.
Thompson was elected to represent Alabama's 5th congressional district
in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. At the time he took his seat there was no free delivery of mail to rural addresses within his district. To address this situation he secured ten new rural mail routes for his state. While serving his first term, Thompson met a number of representatives from northern states
and learned his personal prejudices against them where unfounded. To help build better understanding between northern and southern
representatives, and to better inform his colleges on race issues in the south, Thompson organized a tour of the south at his personal expense. Participants in the tour included Treasury Secretary
L. M. Shaw
and U.S. Representatives Samuel S. Barney
, Archibald B. Darragh
, Charles W. Gillet
, Charles E. Littlefield
, Samuel W. McCall
, Thaddeus Maclay Mahon
, Ernest W. Roberts
, and Charles Addison Russell.
Thompson took ill and died from pneumonia
during the afternoon of March 20, 1904 in Washington D.C.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
banker and politician. He served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's 5th
Alabama's 5th congressional district
Alabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison and Jackson. It also includes parts of Morgan County.It is...
district from 1901 till his death.
Biography
Thompson was born on December 30, 1860 near Tuskegee, AlabamaTuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 11,846 and is designated a Micropolitan Statistical Area. Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history....
to William P. and Mary W. (Jordon) Thompson. His father was a confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
soldier who went on to become mayor of Tuskegee and sheriff of Macon County
Macon County, Alabama
Macon County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Nathaniel Macon, a member of the United States Senate from North Carolina. Developed for cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is one of the counties in Alabama within the Black Belt of the South.As...
. He was educated in public schools and graduated from Tuskegee's Park High School in 1878. From there Thompson attended Bryant & Stratton Business College. Thompson married Estelle Alley on April 20, 1880. The couple had two children, Ernest W. and Charles Winston Jr., before her death on March 19, 1894. From 1886 till 1890, Thompson served as Superintendent of education
Superintendent (education)
In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....
for Macon County.
Upon completion of his education, Thompson went to work at his father's mercantile business. He remained there until his father's death in 1891 when he sold the business. Thompson used the proceeds of the sale to open the Bank of Tuskegee, to which he was elected President. In 1894 Thompson helped create the Farmer's and Alliance Warehouse Company. Two years later, Governor Joseph F. Johnston
Joseph F. Johnston
Joseph Forney Johnston was an American Democratic politician and businessman who was the 30th Governor of Alabama from 1896 to 1900. He later served in the U.S. Senate from August 6, 1907 to his death on August 8, 1913...
appointed Thompson to his staff as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. He also became a Trustee to both Notasulga
Notasulga, Alabama
Notasulga is a town in Lee and Macon Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 916. The portion in Lee County is part of the Auburn Metropolitan Area. Author Zora Neale Hurston was born in Notasulga in 1891....
's Methodist District High School and the Girl's Industrial School of Alabama.
In 1898, Thompson ran unopposed for the Alabama Senate
Alabama Senate
The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state, with each district containing at least 127,140 citizens...
. There he represent the 26th district for two years during which time he helped secure a US$100,000 appropriation for the Girl's Industrial School, the largest such appropriation ever made by Alabama at the time.
Thompson was elected to represent Alabama's 5th congressional district
Alabama's 5th congressional district
Alabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison and Jackson. It also includes parts of Morgan County.It is...
in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. At the time he took his seat there was no free delivery of mail to rural addresses within his district. To address this situation he secured ten new rural mail routes for his state. While serving his first term, Thompson met a number of representatives from northern states
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
and learned his personal prejudices against them where unfounded. To help build better understanding between northern and southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
representatives, and to better inform his colleges on race issues in the south, Thompson organized a tour of the south at his personal expense. Participants in the tour included Treasury Secretary
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
L. M. Shaw
L. M. Shaw
Leslie Mortier Shaw was an American businessman, lawyer and politician.-Biography:Born in Morristown, Vermont, he became a lawyer and banker, and in 1898 became the 17th Governor of Iowa, serving until 1902. He then became United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Theodore Roosevelt...
and U.S. Representatives Samuel S. Barney
Samuel S. Barney
Samuel Stebbins Barney was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.Born in Hartford, Wisconsin, Barney attended the public schools and Lombard College, Galesburg, Illinois...
, Archibald B. Darragh
Archibald B. Darragh
Archibald Bard Darragh was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Bard was born in La Salle Township, Michigan, and attended the common schools and a private academy in Monroe. He entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1857 and pursued a classical course for two years...
, Charles W. Gillet
Charles W. Gillet
Charles William Gillet was a U.S. Representative from New York.Born in Addison, New York, Gillet attended the public schools and the Delaware Literary Institute, Franklin, New York....
, Charles E. Littlefield
Charles E. Littlefield
Charles Edgar Littlefield was a United States Representative from Maine. He was born in Lebanon, Maine on June 21, 1851. He attended the common schools and Foxcroft Academy. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Rockland...
, Samuel W. McCall
Samuel W. McCall
Samuel Walker McCall was a member of the United States House of Representatives, and the 47th Governor of Massachusetts...
, Thaddeus Maclay Mahon
Thaddeus Maclay Mahon
Thaddeus Maclay Mahon was a soldier, attorney, railroad executive, and a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Thaddeus M. Mahon was born in rural Green Village, Pennsylvania...
, Ernest W. Roberts
Ernest W. Roberts
Ernest William Roberts was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.Born in East Madison, Maine, Roberts attended the public schools in Chelsea, Massachusetts....
, and Charles Addison Russell.
Thompson took ill and died from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
during the afternoon of March 20, 1904 in Washington D.C.