The Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Representative Men of Chicago, Milwaukee and the World's Columbian Exposition

              BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY AND PORTRAIT GALLERY.
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the sloop of war " Mohican," belonging to Admiral Dupont's squadron, which sailed from New York October 20, 1861, and which took part in the battle of Port Royal, South Carolina, November 7, 1861, in the capture of Fernandina, Florida, and the taking of other seaports on the South Atlantic coast; also in many engagements at Fort Sumter. July 22, 1862, he was promoted to the office of pay¬ master, with the rank of lieutenant commander^ with orders to report to Admiral David G. Far- ragut for duty on board the United States frigate " Susquehanna," the flagship of the West¬ ern Division, commanded by Commodore Hitch¬ cock. He remained in his squadron till May, 1863, participating in all of Admiral Farragut's naval engagements during that period. Many of the vessels were separated months at a time, and were occasionally at least a hundred miles apart. Parenthetically, we may state his returns to the United States Treasury Department show that his responsibilities were greater than those of any other disbursing officer in the United States Navy. His accounts were settled so entirely to the satis¬ faction of the United States Treasurer that he received the following letter:
Treasury Department, Fourth Auditor's Office, March 29, 1867. Wm. H. Thompson,
Late Paymaster United States Navy. Sir : I take pleasure in testifying to the general correct¬ ness and fidelity with which you have kept and rendered your account as late paymaster in the United States Navy. Your last account, which is now being closed up in this office, is one of the most voluminous which has been settled here, having under your charge the vessels comprising the fleet of the Lower Potomac and James River, and numbering in all some forty-six, and considering the amount of work devolved upon you, and the difficulties under which it was performed, by the separation of the vessels, often by long distances from each other, it is but just to say that the result of the settlement shows that you exercised more than ordinary vigilance in the line of your duty, and without which many serious errors and mistakes must have occurred. Your obedient servant,
S. J. W. Tabor, Auditor.
March 10, 1866, Col. Thompson was appointed naval storekeeper at St. Paul de Loanda, on the coast of Africa, where our government vessels get supplies. Family influence, however, was brought to bear, as he had lately been married to Miss Medora Gale, daughter of Stephen F. Gale, one of the earliest and   most  prominent  citizens of
Chicago, and he was induced to resign this ofifice March 30 following.
Col. Thompson settled in Chicago in April, 1868, and engaged in real estate business. He purchased several large tracts of land and erected a number of fine buildings, among others the Thompson Block, on West Madison street, with a frontage of two hundred and fifty-two feet; this, by the way, was the best building left standing in Chicago after the great fire. Young as he was, his keen foresight enabled him at this time to see the immense possibilities that awaited the city of Chicago, and accordingly he invested largely in real estate in various parts of the city. The won¬ derful increase in values has since proven the soundness of his judgment.
Col. Thompson was twice chosen by the Republican party to represent his district in the Illinois Legislature, serving in the thirtieth and thirty-first general assemblies. He received the handsome plurality of sixty-two hundred and fifty-one votes. His record in the Legislature was one of the most distinguished in its history. His rare knowledge of parliamentary rules and his abilities as an orator made him the leader on the floor. Like his grandfather. Col. Thomp¬ son, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, whom he resembled so strongly in character, when he spoke to an audience his whole mind and body were concentrated on the subject, while his earnestness and eloquence never failed to carry weight and conviction to his hearers. He pro¬ cured the passage of some of the most important bills in the history of the State, among others the Back-tax bill, which enabled the city of Chi¬ cago to secure three million dollars of back taxes from delinquents. He was also deeply interested . in the famous bill for the prevention of cruelty to animals, the first bill of the kind introduced in the Legislature. The difficulties encountered by Col. Thompson in the passage of this bill, and the manner in which he overcame them, are interesting and worthy of record. A few days prior to adjournment he arose and addressed the speaker, who refused to recognize him, on the ground that there were other bills before the house of greater importance. When the last day arrived he again addressed the speaker, but met with the same objection as on the previous occasion.     He   was,  however,  not  to  be  again