William G. Thompson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Detroit | |
| In office 1880–1883 | |
| Preceded by | George C. Langdon |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Benedict Grummond |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 23, 1842 (1842-07-23) |
| Died | July 20, 1904 (1904-07-21) (aged 61) |
| Spouse(s) | Adelaide Mary Brush Adele Campau |
William Gillon Thompson (July 23, 1842 – July 20, 1904) was an American politician, lawyer andUnionArmy officer who was the mayor ofDetroit from 1880 to 1883. He founded Detroit's first major league baseball team,Detroit Wolverines.
William G. Thompson was born inLancaster, Pennsylvania, on July 23, 1842.[1] He was educated atAmherst College.[1] In 1861, sparked to enlist by theCivil War, he joined the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry. When his enlistment was over, he moved at the request of his mother toToledo, Ohio, but then enlisted in a lancer regiment there as a first lieutenant.[1] He spent the winter of 1861–1862 in Detroit, after which the regiment was disbanded and Thompson returned to Lancaster.[1] He was later appointedaide de camp as a second lieutenant in the6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, and was severely wounded at theBattle of Chancellorsville, earning a promotion to first lieutenant for gallantry on the battlefield.[1]
Thompson was a companion of the Michigan Commandery of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a military society of officers who served in the Union armed forces and their descendants.
After his unit was mustered out in 1864, Thompson studied law inNew York City, then moved to Detroit to join the law firm of D. B. andHenry M. Duffield. He was admitted to the bar in 1867.[1] He had varied business interests, building the Ste. Claire Hotel onCampus Martius in 1879[2] and founding Detroit's first major league baseball team, theDetroit Wolverines, in 1881.[3]
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Thompson served on the Board of Estimates in 1873, and as an alderman in 1874–1875.[1] He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1876,[4] and was a delegate to theRepublican National Convention from Michigan in both 1876 and 1880.[5][6] He ran for mayor of Detroit on the Republican ticket twice more, winning both times and serving from 1880 to 1883.[1] In 1884, Thompson switched parties to become aDemocrat and sought that party's nomination for mayor,[6] but was not nominated.[4] He ran once more for mayor in 1891, being defeated by the then-incumbentHazen S. Pingree.[7] He also served as a state senator, being elected in 1894.[8][9]
In 1867, Thompson married Adelaide Mary Brush, the daughter ofEdmund A. Brush and granddaughter ofElijah Brush.[1] The couple had one daughter, and Adelaide died in 1875.[1] In 1878, Thompson married Adele Campau (1856-1930),[1] granddaughter of former Detroit mayorJoseph Campau, but the two began divorce proceedings in 1888.[10] The couple's acrimony caused a sensational and public fight between Thompson and Adele's brother Daniel Campau, in which Thompson was considerably pummeled. Campau had warned Thompson just prior to the fight that "he must not talk about his wife hereafter in barrooms and other public places, as he had been doing."[10]
Thompson died on July 20, 1904, inYonkers, New York,[11] of injuries received after being knocked down by a bicycle.[8]
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Detroit 1880–1883 | Succeeded by |
