Jacob Thompson
Encyclopedia
Jacob Thompson was a lawyer
and politician
who served as United States Secretary of the Interior
from 1857 to 1861.
, in 1810, Thompson attended Bingham Academy in Orange County, North Carolina
, and later went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina
in 1831. Afterwards, he served on the university faculty for a short time until he left to study law in 1832. He was admitted to the bar in 1834 and commenced practice in Pontotoc, Mississippi
.
Thompson got involved in politics and was elected to the 26th Congress
, serving from 1839 to 1851. He was appointed to the United States Senate
in 1845, but never received the commission and the seat went to Joseph W. Chalmers
. Thompson was the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs
in the 29th Congress
. He lost reelection to the 32nd Congress
and went back to practicing law until 1857, when newly elected President
James Buchanan
appointed Thompson United States Secretary of the Interior
.
In the later years of the Buchanan administration, the cabinet members argued with one another on issues of slavery
and secession. Thompson sided with the Confederacy
and resigned as Interior Secretary in January 1861. When he resigned, Horace Greeley
's New-York Daily Tribune denounced him as "a traitor," remarking: "Undertaking to overthrow the Government of which you are a sworn minister may be in accordance with the ideas of cotton-growing chivalry, but to common men cannot be made to appear creditable." Thompson then became Inspector General
of the Confederate States Army
. Though not a military man, Thompson later joined the army as an officer and served as an aide to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at the Battle of Shiloh
. He attained the rank of Lt. Colonel and was present at several other battles in the Western Theater
of the war including Vicksburg, Corinth and Tupelo.
In March, 1864, Jefferson Davis
asked Thompson to lead a secret delegation in Canada
. He accepted and arrived in Montreal in May of that year. From where he directed a failed plot to free Confederate prisoners of war on Johnson's Island, off Sandusky, Ohio, in September. He also arranged purchase of a steamer with the intention of arming it to harass shipping in the Great Lakes. Regarded in the North as a schemer and conspirator, many devious plots were associated with his name, though much of this may have been public hysteria. One plot was a planned burning of New York on November 25, 1864 in retaliation for Union Generals Philip Sheridan
and William Tecumseh Sherman
's scorched earth tactics in the south. As head of Confederate secret agents some speculate that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln
, met with Thompson but this has not been proven (Thompson worked hard to clear his name of involvement in the assassination in the years after the war). His manor called "Home Place" in Oxford, Mississippi
, was burned down by Union
troops in 1864.
After the Civil War
, Thompson fled to England and later returned to Canada as he waited for passions to cool in the United States. He eventually came home and settled in Memphis, Tennessee
to manage his extensive holdings. Thompson was later appointed to the board of the University of the South at Sewanee and was a great benefactor of the school. He died in Memphis and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
.
William Faulkner
, who was also a resident of Oxford, loosely based several ancestral members of the Compson family, featured in The Sound and the Fury
on Thompson.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served as United States Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
from 1857 to 1861.
Biography
Born in Leasburg, North CarolinaLeasburg, North Carolina
Leasburg is a former town and the former county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina. The community has a partial presence in Person County. The population was 1,942 at the 2000 census. It was named in honor of longtime resident William Lea and is located along US 158 and NC 119 near Hyco Lake...
, in 1810, Thompson attended Bingham Academy in Orange County, North Carolina
Orange County, North Carolina
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...
, and later went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in 1831. Afterwards, he served on the university faculty for a short time until he left to study law in 1832. He was admitted to the bar in 1834 and commenced practice in Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc, Mississippi
Pontotoc is a city in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, United States. Pontotoc is west of the much larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,625 at the 2010 census...
.
Thompson got involved in politics and was elected to the 26th Congress
26th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :*President: Richard M. Johnson *President pro tempore: William R. King - House of Representatives :*Speaker: Robert M.T. Hunter -Members:This list is arranged by chamber, then by state...
, serving from 1839 to 1851. He was appointed to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1845, but never received the commission and the seat went to Joseph W. Chalmers
Joseph W. Chalmers
Joseph Williams Chalmers was a United States Senator from Mississippi. Born in Halifax County, Virginia, he studied law in the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, and in Richmond. He was admitted to the bar and practiced, and moved to Jackson, Tennessee in 1835 and to Holly Springs,...
. Thompson was the chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs
United States House Committee on Resources
The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, or Natural Resources Committee is a Congressional committee of the United States House of Representatives. Originally called the "Committee on Interior & Insular Affairs," the name was changed to the Natural Resources Committee in 1993...
in the 29th Congress
29th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress, two House seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.-Leadership:-Senate:* President: George M. Dallas * President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum...
. He lost reelection to the 32nd Congress
32nd United States Congress
The Thirty-second United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1851 to March 3, 1853, during the third and...
and went back to practicing law until 1857, when newly elected President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
appointed Thompson United States Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
.
In the later years of the Buchanan administration, the cabinet members argued with one another on issues of slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and secession. Thompson sided with the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and resigned as Interior Secretary in January 1861. When he resigned, Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
's New-York Daily Tribune denounced him as "a traitor," remarking: "Undertaking to overthrow the Government of which you are a sworn minister may be in accordance with the ideas of cotton-growing chivalry, but to common men cannot be made to appear creditable." Thompson then became Inspector General
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
of the Confederate States Army
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...
. Though not a military man, Thompson later joined the army as an officer and served as an aide to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard at the Battle of Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6–7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and...
. He attained the rank of Lt. Colonel and was present at several other battles in the Western Theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
of the war including Vicksburg, Corinth and Tupelo.
In March, 1864, Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
asked Thompson to lead a secret delegation in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He accepted and arrived in Montreal in May of that year. From where he directed a failed plot to free Confederate prisoners of war on Johnson's Island, off Sandusky, Ohio, in September. He also arranged purchase of a steamer with the intention of arming it to harass shipping in the Great Lakes. Regarded in the North as a schemer and conspirator, many devious plots were associated with his name, though much of this may have been public hysteria. One plot was a planned burning of New York on November 25, 1864 in retaliation for Union Generals Philip Sheridan
Philip Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen. Ulysses S...
and William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's scorched earth tactics in the south. As head of Confederate secret agents some speculate that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, met with Thompson but this has not been proven (Thompson worked hard to clear his name of involvement in the assassination in the years after the war). His manor called "Home Place" in Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1835, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract....
, was burned down by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
troops in 1864.
After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Thompson fled to England and later returned to Canada as he waited for passions to cool in the United States. He eventually came home and settled in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
to manage his extensive holdings. Thompson was later appointed to the board of the University of the South at Sewanee and was a great benefactor of the school. He died in Memphis and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)
Historic Elmwood Cemetery is the oldest active cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. It was established in 1852 as one of the first rural garden cemeteries in the South.-Origins:...
.
William Faulkner
William Faulkner
William Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner worked in a variety of media; he wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays and screenplays during his career...
, who was also a resident of Oxford, loosely based several ancestral members of the Compson family, featured in The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury is a novel written by the American author William Faulkner. It employs a number of narrative styles, including the technique known as stream of consciousness, pioneered by 20th century European novelists such as James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. Published in 1929, The Sound and...
on Thompson.
External links
Retrieved on 2009-5-12- The Jacob Thompson Collection (MUM00266) can be found in the William and Marjorie Lewis Collection at the University of Mississippi in the Archives and Special Collections.