lilO.MAS
THOMPSON
■:r ' v^^
practice of law; was commissioner of jnihlic
lands. 186«.>. ami of immigration for Maine, 1870-
73. his plan of immigration being adopted by the
legislature. Marcli 2;?, 1S70. Ho then visited
Sweden and returned with fifty-one colonists
whom he settled
in northern Maine,
founding the colony
of " New Sweden "
July 23. 1870. Here
he lived in a log cabin
iu the woods for four
years, directing the
efforts of his Swedish
pioneers, until the
success of the settle-
ment was assured.
In 1900, on the thir-
tietli anniversary of
New Sweden the
settlement numbered
2000 Swedisli inhabi-
tants, owning real and personal property to a
value of over SI. 000,000, while the state of Maine
aggregated a Swedish population of over HOOO, all
brought thither by the influence of New Sweden.
Mr. Tliomas was a representative in the state
legislature, 1873-75, and speaker, 1874-75; presi-
dent of the Republican state convention, 1875;
state senator. 1879; and delegate to the Repub-
lican national convention at Chicago, 1880. On
July 4, 1883, he delivered the oration at the
quarter-millennial celebration of the founding of
Portland by his own ancestor, Cleve, and in Sep-
tember, 18S8, he was orator at the great Swedish
celebration at Minneapolis, where more than
40.iX)0 Swedes assembled to commemorate the two
humlred and fiftieth anniversary of the first
Sweilish settlement in America, — New Sweden,
on the Delaware, founded on the plans of Gus-
tavas Adolphus. He was U.S. minister to Sweden
and Norway, 1883-85. 1889-94, and from Decem-
ber, 1897. He was the first minister to hoist the
American flag at Stockholm, and the first to
adress the king in the Swedish language. In his
oflicial capacity he three times secured the good
offices of King Oscar in the settlement of contro-
versies between the United States, Great Britain
and Germany. On the arrival of the U.S. war
ship Balfimore at Stockholm, on Sept. 14, 1890,
with the Ixwly of John Ericsson, Mr. Thomas made
the address, delivered the honored ashes of the
inventor of the 3/oHi7or to the King and people
of Sweden; and eleven years afterward, Sept. 14,
1901, on the occasion of the iinveiling of the
bronz monument to John Ericsson at Stockliolm,
ho delivered the oration in the Swedish tongue in
the presence of the Swedish royalties, covirts.
cabinet, and 25.000 people, and was publicly
thanked therefor by the Crown Prince of Sweden
and Norway. On April 10, 1903. he presided at
the great international banquet at Stockholm,
commemorative of the centennial of the purchase
of tlio Louisiana territory by the United States,
and delivered an historical address in the Swedish
language. Through his untiring efforts and wise
diplomacy he secured the oflicial participation ol'
Sweden in the Louisiana Purchase exposition of
1904, notwithstanding the Swedish government
had previously twice declined. Mr. Thomas's ser-
vice under the U.S. department of state antedated
that of any other person living in 1903, in the dip-
lomatic and consular corps of America. In the
course of his diplomatic career, he was personally
presented with autograph portraits by President
Roosevelt, King Oscar II., Emperor William II.,
of Germany, and Abbas II., Khedive of Egypt.
He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from
Bethany college, Kansas, in 1901. In 1869 he
published an Englisli translation of Victor Ryd-
berg's '-Tlie Last Athenian " for which he re-
ceived the thanks of the King of Sweden. In
1891, appeared his large illustrated historical
work, Sweden and the Swedes, published in both
the English and Swedish languages, in America,
England and Sweden. He was married, Oct. 11,
1887, to Dagmar Tornebladh, a Swedish noble-
woman. Two sons were born to them, William
Widgerj', 3d, who died in infancy, and Oscar
Per(;ival, born Aug. 11, 18S0. at Stockholm.
THOMPSON, Albert Clifton, representative, was born in Broukville, Pa., Jan. 23, 1842; son of Jolin J. Y.and Agnes Susan (Kennedy) Thompson; grandson of William and Agnes (Jameson) Thomp- son and of the Rev, William and Mary (McClure) Kennedy. He attended Jefferson college; in 1861 enlisted in the Union army, serving as private, lieutenant and captain in the 105th Pennsylvania volunteers, and was discharged for wounds, March 23, 1863. He was admitted to the bar Dec. 13, 1864; began practice in Portsmouth, Ohio, 1865; was probate judge of Scioto county, 1869- 72; judge of the court of common pleas, seventh Ohio judicial district, 1882-85; Republican repre- sentative from the eleventh Ohio district in the 49th, 50th and 51st congresses, 1885-91, and was appointed by President McKinley judge of the U.S. district court for the southern district of Ohio. Sept. 16. 1899.
THOMPSON, Benjamin (Count Rumford), scientist, was born in North Woburn, Mass., March 26, 1753; son of Benjamin and Ruth (Simonds) Thompson, and a descendant in the fifth generation of James Thompson, who immi- grated to New England with John Winthrop in 1630, and was one of the subscribers to the original town or<lers of Woburn (tlien Ciiarlestown Vil- lage) in 1610. Benjamin Tliomi)son, 8r., died in
