{{short description|American politician}} {{about||the Union Army soldier|Thomas W. Thompson (Medal of Honor)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Thomas Weston Thompson | image = Thomas Weston Thompson.jpg | image_size = 164px | office = Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | term_start = 1807 | term_end = 1808 | predecessor = | successor = | office2 = Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives | term_start2 = 1813 | term_end2 = 1814 | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | state3 = New Hampshire | district3 = at-large | term3 = March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1807 | preceded3 = Samuel Hunt | succeeded3 = Daniel Meserve Durell | jr/sr4 = United States Senator | state4 = New Hampshire | term_start4 = June 24, 1814 | term_end4 = March 3, 1817 | preceded4 = Nicholas Gilman | succeeded4 = David L. Morril | birth_date = {{birth date|1766|3|15}} | birth_place = Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America | death_date = {{death date and age|1821|10|1|1766|3|15}} | death_place = Concord, New Hampshire, U.S. | resting_place = Old North Cemetery | party = Federalist | spouse = Elizabeth C. Porter | relations = | children = William Coombs Thompson<br />Charles Edward Thompson | alma_mater = Harvard College | profession = Attorney<br />Politician | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
'''Thomas Weston Thompson''' (March 15, 1766{{spaced ndash}}October 1, 1821) was an American attorney and Federalist politician in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. He served as a United States representative and United States Senator during the 1800s.
== Early life and career == Thompson was born in Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the son of Thomas and Isabella Thompson. The family moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts, when Thompson was young.<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last=Chase|first=Frederick|title=A history of Dartmouth college and the town of Hanover, New Hampshire, Volume 2|year=1913|publisher=Vermont Printing Co|page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorydartmou02lordgoog/page/n80 62]|url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorydartmou02lordgoog|quote=Thomas W ThompsonThe Governor's Academy.}}</ref> He attended Dummer Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.debate.org/reference/thomas-w-thompson|title= Thomas W. Thompson|publisher= Debate.org Reference|accessdate= December 6, 2013|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131212083224/http://www.debate.org/reference/thomas-w-thompson|archivedate= December 12, 2013}}</ref> and served as an aide to General Lincoln during Shays' Rebellion.<ref name="auto1">{{cite book|last=Bell|first=Charles Henry|title=The bench and bar of New Hampshire: including biographical notices of deceased judges of the highest court, and lawyers of the province and state, and a list of names of those now living|year=1893|publisher=Houghton, Mifflin and company|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ/page/n705 688]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_lAE9AAAAIAAJ|quote=Thomas W Thompson Dummer Academy.}}</ref> Thompson graduated from Harvard University in 1786 and began studying for the ministry. He was a tutor at Harvard from 1789 to 1791.<ref>{{cite book|last=Harvard University|title=Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University|year=1900|publisher=The University|page=160|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3MqAAAAYAAJ&q=Thomas+W+Thompson+tutor+at+Harvard&pg=PA160}}</ref>
He read law, was admitted to the bar in 1791 and practiced law in Salisbury, New Hampshire, from 1791 to 1810. Among the younger men he mentored was Daniel Webster, who started as a law apprentice with him around 1801.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wait|first=Eugene M.|title=America and the War of 1812|year=1999|publisher=Nova Publishers|page=255|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=puuQ30N0EsIC&q=Thomas+W+Thompson&pg=PA255|isbn=978-1-56072-644-9}}</ref><ref name="auto" /> Thompson was appointed postmaster of Salisbury, serving from 1798 to 1803. He served for more than two decades as a trustee of Dartmouth College, from 1801 to 1821.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dartmouth College|title=General Catalogue of Dartmouth College and the Associated Schools 1769–1900|year=1900|publisher=Dartmouth College|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sKM4AAAAYAAJ/page/n96 66]|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_sKM4AAAAYAAJ|quote=Thomas W Thompson Dartmouth College trustee.}}</ref>
== Political career == In 1810, Thompson moved to Concord, New Hampshire where he continued the practice of law. He was elected as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving from 1807 to 1808. He was treasurer of New Hampshire in 1810.<ref name="auto" /> He was reelected to serve in the State House from 1813 to 1814 and elected Speaker.<ref>{{cite book|last=New Hampshire. General Court. Senate|title=Journal of the Proceedings of the Senate o|year=1813|publisher=New Hampshire. General Court. Senate|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ExpNAAAAYAAJ&q=Thomas+W+Thompson+New+Hampshire+House+of+Representatives&pg=PA6}}</ref>
Thompson was elected as a Federalist to the Ninth U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1805, to March 3, 1807.<ref>{{cite book|title=Congressional Serial Set|year=1900|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=740|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gF1ZAAAAIAAJ&q=Thomas+W+Thompson+&pg=PA886}}</ref> He was appointed state treasurer of New Hampshire from 1809 to 1811. Thompson was elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas Gilman, serving from June 24, 1814, to March 3, 1817.<ref>{{cite book|last=United States. Congress. Senate|title=Journal of the Senate of the United States of America|year=1813|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=viii|url=https://archive.org/details/journalsenateun00conggoog|quote=Thomas W Thompson senator 1814.}}</ref>
He died in Concord in 1821; interment was in the Old North Cemetery.
== Personal life == Thompson married Elizabeth C. Porter on December 25, 1796. They had two sons, William Coombs Thompson and Charles Edward Thompson.<ref name="auto1" />
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{CongBio|T000220}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box | state=New Hampshire | district=AL | before=Samuel Hunt | after=Daniel M. Durell | years=1805–1807}} {{s-par|us-sen}} {{U.S. Senator box | state=New Hampshire | class=2 | before=Nicholas Gilman | after=David L. Morril | alongside=Jeremiah Mason | years=1814–1817}} {{s-end}} {{USSenNH}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Thomas}} Category:1766 births Category:1821 deaths Category:Politicians from Boston Category:Politicians from Newburyport, Massachusetts Category:Harvard University alumni Category:New Hampshire postmasters Category:Members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Category:Speakers of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Category:United States senators from New Hampshire Category:Federalist Party United States senators Category:Federalist Party United States representatives from New Hampshire Category:Lawyers from Boston Category:American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Category:19th-century American lawyers Category:The Governor's Academy alumni Category:19th-century United States representatives Category:19th-century United States senators Category:19th-century members of the New Hampshire General Court