George W. Thompson

Infobox_Congressman
name=George Western Thompson


state=Virginia
district=15th
term=March 4, 1851 – July 30, 1852
preceded=Thomas Haymond
succeeded=Sherrard Clemens
date of birth=birth date|1806|5|14|mf=y
place of birth=St. Clairsville, Ohio, U.S.
date of death=death date and age|1888|2|24|1806|5|14|mf=y
place of death=Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
spouse=
profession=Politician, Lawyer, Judge
religion=
party=Democrat|

George Western Thompson (May 14, 1806 – February 24, 1888) was a nineteenth century politician, lawyer and judge from Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.

Born in St. Clairsville, Ohio, Thompson graduated from Jefferson College in 1824, studied law in Richmond, Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1826, commencing practice in St. Clairsville in 1828. He moved to Virginia in 1837 and was appointed deputy postmaster of Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) in 1838. He was later appointed on a commission to settle jurisdiction of the Ohio River between Virginia and Ohio and was appointed by President James K. Polk United States Attorney for the western district of Virginia which he served as from 1848 to 1850. Thompson was elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives in 1850, serving from 1851 until his resignation in 1852 when he became judge of the circuit court of Virginia. He was reelected to this position in 1860, but was forced to leave in 1861 on refusal to take the oath of office to support what he believed was an unconstitutional action to set up the present State of West Virginia. Thompson retired afterwards on his estate near Wheeling, West Virginia where he died on February 24, 1888. He was interned their in Elm Grove Cemetery.

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7617808&pt George W. Thompson] at Find A Grave