William Tappan Thompson
| William Tappan Thompson | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
William Tappan Thompson August 31, 1812 Ravenna, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1882 (aged 69) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Residence | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Nationality | American (1812–1861) Confederate (1861–1865) |
| Occupation | Writer, editor |
| Organization | Savannah Daily Morning News |
| Political party | Democratic |
William Tappan Thompson (August 31, 1812 – March 24, 1882) was an American writer who co-founded the Savannah Morning News in the 1850s, known then as the Daily Morning News. One of his most notable works was Major Jones's Courtship, an epistolary novel. Thompson's best-known fictional character was Major Joseph Jones.
Originally from Ohio, Thompson moved to Savannah, Georgia, where he co-founded the Daily Morning News and became an editor.
Thompson was born on August 31, 1812, in Ravenna, Ohio.
Upon moving to Savannah, Georgia, in the 1850s, he co-founded the Savannah Morning News. Thompson left the paper in 1867 to travel in Europe. In 1868, he returned, and the paper was renamed Savannah Daily Morning News for one edition, then was changed to the current name the following day.
Thompson supported the Confederacy during the American Civil War. In 1863, as the editor of the Morning News he promoted a design that would ultimately become the Confederacy's second national flag, which would become known as the "Stainless Banner", though he used a different name for the flag.
In a series of editorials, Thompson wrote why the design should be chosen to represent the Confederacy:
As a people, we are fighting to maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause.… Such a flag…would soon take rank among the proudest ensigns of the nations, and be hailed by the civilized world as THE WHITE MAN'S FLAG [sic].
In May 1863, a few days after this design was chosen by the Confederacy, Thompson applauded its decision, stating:
As a national emblem, it is significant of our higher cause, the cause of a superior race, and a higher civilization contending against ignorance, infidelity, and barbarism. Another merit in the new flag is, that it bears no resemblance to the now infamous banner of the Yankee vandals.
After the Civil War ended, Thompson, who was a fervent supporter of the Democrats, opposed the Republican Party's efforts for over taxation of the southern states. He died on March 24, 1882 in Savannah, Georgia.
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