George A. Thompson
Encyclopedia
George A. Thompson was an American inventor and businessman who held many patents in the pumping industry and is credited with the invention of the rotary pump. His many inventions and pioneering spirit led to the creation of Thompson Pump & Manufacturing company.
. George Thompson was a self-taught civil and mechanical engineer with limited formal advanced education but with extensive U.S. Navy schooling and graduate degrees from the School of Hard Knocks. Mr. Thompson was a veteran of the U. S. Navy during World War II where he plied the North Atlantic Ocean.
, for the Army Corps of Engineers; as a surveyor; and also for ITT/Federal Electric Corporation in support of the Apollo Project which produced the first manned lunar landing. He entered the construction equipment industry in 1946 in New York City
where he realized that many of the products and techniques of pumping and dewatering were inefficient.
He moved from Long Island City, New York in 1951 to Daytona Beach, Florida
. In 1970, he founded the Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Company in Port Orange, FL which has grown to international prominence under his direction. Mr. Thompson spent 1946 through 1965 and 1970 – 1999, totaling 48 years in the business. He remained active in the family’s business until a year before passing away in May 2000.
A member of Who’s Who of American Inventors, Mr. Thompson was the holder of numerous patents and his engineering expertise, innovative designs and unique accomplishments in the fields of construction dewatering and manufacturing were widely recognized. A pioneer and trailblazer, he invented and patented many unique and innovative products and techniques which improved the construction equipment industry.
His development of the first self-priming rotary pump revolutionized wellpoint dewatering methods. He has contributed greatly to his industry. In total, Mr. Thompson holds seven U.S. patents directly related to the construction equipment industry.
is known worldwide for its different lines of high quality pumps, ranging in size from 2 to 18 inches. Thompson Pump sells and rents their entire line of pumps to the areas of public works
, municipalities, construction
, agriculture, dewatering, mining, sewer/lift stations, and water/waste water. Types of pumps engineered include wet prime trash pumps; dry prime trash pumps with compressor-assisted or vacuum-assisted priming systems; sound attenuated pumps; utility trash pumps; diaphragm pumps; hydraulic power units with submersible pump ends; rotary, vacuum and piston wellpoint pumps and high pressure jet pumps. In addition, Thompson provides engineering services and special applications consulting for complicated wellpoint, bypass or multiple pump systems; and offers thorough pump and dewatering education and training through its Pumpology courses.
History
George A. Thompson was born in 1921 in Drumwright, Oklahoma. Like many other industry pioneers, he grew up in poverty during the great depressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. George Thompson was a self-taught civil and mechanical engineer with limited formal advanced education but with extensive U.S. Navy schooling and graduate degrees from the School of Hard Knocks. Mr. Thompson was a veteran of the U. S. Navy during World War II where he plied the North Atlantic Ocean.
Beginnings
During his long and varied career, he worked for the Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
, for the Army Corps of Engineers; as a surveyor; and also for ITT/Federal Electric Corporation in support of the Apollo Project which produced the first manned lunar landing. He entered the construction equipment industry in 1946 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he realized that many of the products and techniques of pumping and dewatering were inefficient.
He moved from Long Island City, New York in 1951 to Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, USA. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city has a population of 64,211. Daytona Beach is a principal city of the Deltona – Daytona Beach – Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the census bureau estimated had...
. In 1970, he founded the Thompson Pump and Manufacturing Company in Port Orange, FL which has grown to international prominence under his direction. Mr. Thompson spent 1946 through 1965 and 1970 – 1999, totaling 48 years in the business. He remained active in the family’s business until a year before passing away in May 2000.
A member of Who’s Who of American Inventors, Mr. Thompson was the holder of numerous patents and his engineering expertise, innovative designs and unique accomplishments in the fields of construction dewatering and manufacturing were widely recognized. A pioneer and trailblazer, he invented and patented many unique and innovative products and techniques which improved the construction equipment industry.
Contributions
Mr. Thompson introduced the Vacuum Well and Filtervac pipe to the industry. Though he did not formally patent these designs, he created them and used them in innovative ways. These types of underdrain pipes were able to draw vacuum without collapsing, which enabled them to attach to a pump to dewater a construction site.His development of the first self-priming rotary pump revolutionized wellpoint dewatering methods. He has contributed greatly to his industry. In total, Mr. Thompson holds seven U.S. patents directly related to the construction equipment industry.
Creation of Thompson Pump & Manufacturing Company
Today, because of George A. Thompson, Thompson Pump and ManufacturingThompson Pump and Manufacturing
Thompson Pump and Manufacturing is a privately held pump manufacturer in Port Orange, Florida. It manufactures engine-powered pumps for construction, bypass, dewatering, wastewater, sewage, mining, petroleum, municipal, agriculture, military and industrial markets.-History:The company was founded...
is known worldwide for its different lines of high quality pumps, ranging in size from 2 to 18 inches. Thompson Pump sells and rents their entire line of pumps to the areas of public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, municipalities, construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
, agriculture, dewatering, mining, sewer/lift stations, and water/waste water. Types of pumps engineered include wet prime trash pumps; dry prime trash pumps with compressor-assisted or vacuum-assisted priming systems; sound attenuated pumps; utility trash pumps; diaphragm pumps; hydraulic power units with submersible pump ends; rotary, vacuum and piston wellpoint pumps and high pressure jet pumps. In addition, Thompson provides engineering services and special applications consulting for complicated wellpoint, bypass or multiple pump systems; and offers thorough pump and dewatering education and training through its Pumpology courses.