Richard W. Thompson
| Richard Wigginton Thompson | |
|---|---|
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| 27th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
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In office March 13, 1877 – December 20, 1880 |
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| President | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | George M. Robeson |
| Succeeded by | Nathan Goff, Jr. |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 7th district | |
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In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Edward W. McGaughey |
| Succeeded by | Edward W. McGaughey |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 2nd district | |
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In office March 4, 1841 – March 3, 1843 |
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| Preceded by | John W. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Thomas J. Henley |
| Member of the Indiana Senate | |
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In office 1836-1838 |
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| Member of the Indiana General Assembly | |
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In office 1834-1838 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 9, 1809 Culpeper County, Virginia, US |
| Died | February 9, 1900 (aged 90) Terre Haute, Indiana, US |
| Political party | Whig, Republican |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer, judge, teacher |
Richard Wigginton Thompson (June 9, 1809 – February 9, 1900) was an American politician.
Thompson was born in Culpeper County, Virginia. He left Virginia in 1831 and lived briefly in Louisville, Kentucky before finally settling in Lawrence County, Indiana. There, he taught school, kept a store, and studied law at night. Admitted to the bar in 1834, he practiced law in Bedford, Indiana, and served four terms in the Indiana General Assembly from 1834 to 1838. He served as President pro tempore of the Indiana Senate for a short time and briefly held the office of acting Lieutenant Governor. In the presidential election of 1840, he zealously advocated the election of William Henry Harrison. Thompson then represented Indiana in the United States Congress, serving in the United States House of Representatives from 1841 to 1843 and again from 1847 to 1849.
During the 1850s Thompson and some of his fellow Whigs (such as his friend Schuyler Colfax) transferred allegiance to the American Party, better known as the Know Nothing Party. They did so due to their suspicion of the increased immigration from Ireland and Germany, but also because of the view of the northern portion of the American Party to be opposed to slavery. In time Thompson and his allies would allow an alliance of their portion of the Whig Party (which was collapsing with the American Party to prevent victories in elections by the Democratic Party.
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