John Richardson Thompson (July 28, 1834 – February 12, 1894) was one of the seven founders of the The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.

Biography

Thompson was born on July 28, 1834 in Littleton, New Hampshire

Littleton, New Hampshire

Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....

. He became a member of the United States Department of the Treasury

United States Department of the Treasury

The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...

 after his service in the American 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...

. He is believed to be the first to whom Oliver Hudson Kelley

Oliver Hudson Kelley

Oliver Hudson Kelley is considered the "Father" of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.-Biography:In Boston, he moved to the Minnesota frontier in 1849, where he became a farmer...

 talked about his dream of setting up a fraternal organization of farmers. Thompson's Freemasonry

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 training became a valuable tool in developing the ritualistic work of the The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, revolving the ritualistic teachings around the farm and farm family. He died on February 12, 1894.

Legacy

The other founders of the Grange were: Oliver Hudson Kelley

Oliver Hudson Kelley

Oliver Hudson Kelley is considered the "Father" of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.-Biography:In Boston, he moved to the Minnesota frontier in 1849, where he became a farmer...

, William Saunders, Francis M. McDowell, John Trimble

John Trimble

John Trimble was one of the seven founders of the Grange.-Biography:Born in New Jersey, he was a student of the Protestant Episcopal Church, receiving his Doctor of Divinity. Following the American Civil War, he served in the Treasurer Department as agent for the collection of war claims for...

, Aaron B. Grosh

Aaron B. Grosh

Reverend Aaron Burt Grosh , a Universalist minister, was one of the seven founders of the Grange. He had a major part in the design of the Grange ritual and was also responsible for the various songs used during various celebrations of the Grange...

, William M. Ireland

William M. Ireland

William M. Ireland was one of the seven founders of the Grange.-Biography:He served much of his life as chief clerk in the offices of the U.S. Post Office Department. Also an avid Mason, Ireland added valuable knowledge to organizational systems and methods in the formative period of the Grange...

 and Caroline A. Hall

Caroline A. Hall

Caroline Arabella Hall was an early associate of the seven founders of the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry.-Biography:She was born in Boston in 1838 to Hepzibah and Nathanial Hall....

.