Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1894 — COL. RICHARD W. THOMPSON. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COL. RICHARD W. THOMPSON.

Indiana Recently Celebrated His Birthday. The citizens of Terre Haute, Ind., recently celebrated the 85th birthday of one of the most distinguished of their

number, Hon. Richard W. Thompson. Hon. R. W. Thompson has played quite a part in the history of the country and has known all the public mon in the land for years. The only two Pres-, idents he has not seen are Washington and John Adams, but from

Monroe down he has personally known them all. He was a friend of Lafayette and met him many times. Col. Thompson began his political career in 1840, when he was e’ected to Congress. He served that term and' again in 1846, at which time Abraham Lincoln was in that body. Though not opposed to slavery as an insti ution, after Fort Sumter was fired on Col. Thompson devoted all his energies in nutting down disaffection in the South and used his eloquence most successfully to urge Northern men to enlist. He is known as Col. Thompson from having held that rank on the staff of Gov. Noble, of Indiana. When Rutherford B. Hayes became President Col. Thompson was made Secretary of the Navy. He finally resigned that office to accept the Presidency of the American branch of the Panama Canal Company, which ho held for six years. Col. Thompson occupies his time in writing and studying and, though retired from active life, his influence is still strong and is exercised over a wide sphere.

R. W. THOMPSON.