Allen C. Thompson

Allen C. Thompson
Thompson pictured in Ole Miss 1929, Mississippi yearbook
Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi
In office 1948–1969
Preceded by	Leland L. Speed
Succeeded by	Russell C. Davis
Personal details
Born	Allen Cavett Thompson (1906-11-06)November 6, 1906 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Died	October 18, 1980(1980-10-18) (aged 73) St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Evana Shelby
Children	Allen Thompson, Jr. Shelby Thompson William I.S. "Billy" Thompson
Alma mater	University Of Mississippi

Allen Thompson, Jr.
Shelby Thompson

Allen Cavett Thompson (November 6, 1906 – October 18, 1980) was an American politician in the state of Mississippi. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, and as mayor of Jackson, Mississippi for a total of 20 years.

Thompson was born to Allen and Mattie Thompson. His father was an attorney, city prosecutor and city judge prior to his death in 1916. Allen, his brother and mother all had to work to help support the family.

Since owning cattle was prohibited inside the city limits, Mattie moved her family to the country where she could keep a milk cow and chickens to help feed the family. The house she owned, less the farm animals, still stands today and is no longer “in the country” but is located on Fairview Street in Belhaven. His mother worked as head dietician for a college while Allen and his brother performed odd jobs to help out.

When Allen was a teenager he was hired by a local doctor to drive him to Colorado each summer. The doctor would avoid the oppressive Mississippi heat by spending the summers in Colorado Springs. The trips were long and difficult considering there were no major interstate highways at the time and most of the drive was on two-lane dirt roads. Since the doctor only paid Allen to drive him there and back it was up to Allen to support himself while in Colorado. Allen was a natural athlete and before long was the tennis and golf teacher at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs.

Upon graduating from Central High School, Allen enrolled at the University Of Mississippi. During his time at "Ole Miss" he remained very active in sports and was the state tennis champion for three consecutive years.

Thompson married Evana Shelby on August 22, 1929 in Port Gibson, Mississippi. He was offered and accepted a teaching position at Blue Mountain College in North Mississippi.

In 1931 Allen obtained his license to practice law and returned to Jackson. During the next few years Allen and Evana had three children, Allen Jr., Shelby, and William I.S. "Billy" Thompson, who was elected in 1963 to the Mississippi House of Representatives over the Republican William Swan Yerger, later a Hinds County circuit court judge from 1997 to 2010 and the brother of the first Mississippi Republican state chairman Wirt Yerger of Jackson.