The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1912-07-24

SECRETARY
isrEeEsrIse CAREER oe AID 70
PRESIDENT rAFr.
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Nritins In the WAshinston Po...
francts G-ssn~r. gfVes a very In
terestinr description Of IN. carer II
Afmi Ihonpppsor. the new sore
t@ry 10 President Taft Mr. Thomp-
son - a West EirEinian. having been
horn N the southern section OF the
state The article follows
CsTmt Thompson. the new secretary
10 the President. Was appointed from
ohio. bur Was born In IVES, virginia
Ills political honors were won in ohio.
and he retains his voting reSidenc.
there. But West Virginia proudly
claims him as a native son. And car
mi IL rather proud Of ~. too.
Carmi Thompson has been promIn-
ent In Ohio Republican affairs less
than ten years. but in that short time
he has been out OF Office less than 40
DAYS He went TO the legislature
In 1908. again In 1905. and was chosen
speaker Then u was easy TO win
the nomination for secretary of state.
an Office next IN rank TO that OF gov
"rnor. and he was elected while yet
speaker OF the assembly. He was re-
elected In spite OF the disturbed con-
dltion OF things in the State. In
March. 1911. he was appointed Assist
ant Secretary of the Interior.
Mr.. Thompson Is not ashamed Of
ms early struggles as a brickyard
helper and a coal miner.
When Secretary Thompson took
hold at the white House he was ask
ed by the newspaper writer's to give
some data covering his career and
family history. He responded with a
dozen lines. giving dates OF tho most
ha
Ancestors Came From Ireland.
The great-great- era ndfather OF
Carmi Thompson came from ireland.
with two brawny brothers. during the
American revolution. In fact. the
revolution was what brought them
here. They We're Scotch Irish from
County Ulster. Ireland. and they did
MT approve of the British sovereign
doing business At london. The
Thompson lads could not fight George
III very handily at thome. so they
came to this side of the Atlantic.
where their services would be more
appreciated.
Landing NJ Baltimore. they made
haste TO join wnshington's army. and
were gladly welcomed. They proved
good soldiers. and the direct ancestor
81 Carmi became a captain. The con
tinental army did not paw captains
vedy much but a big grant Of hand
in the wild and remote part Of old
Virginia was given Capt. Thompson.
and he went out To look at H.
The Virginia land grant handed to
capt Thompson was IN what is now
known as Wayne county. W. Va. be-
low Huntington. The property was
not % much value then. and possibl'
the soldier did not think SO much of
the grant given bv the new govern
inent. Anyhow. he made tn most 81
n. and his DESCENDANTS named Thomp-
son number about 1900 in the lower
West Virginia region.
Some Of the earlier Thompsons he
came slave owners. as was the fashion
In old Virginia. and others became
violently opposed 20 slavery. so that
there were many family feuds and bit
ter wrarglinRs. all growing out Of the
SLAYER question. All the Thompsons
forgot thir personal differences. how
ever when a war came on prior 10
1861. There were Thompsons. all an
cestors 81 the presidential secretary.
who fought I'm the war Of 1872. In all
the Indian wars. and I'm the war with
Mexico.
The Thompsons were in the civil
war. but on both sides Those who
had been Shareholders stood hv the
South. and the old line whig Thomp-
sons stood by Lincoln. The grand
father Of Carmi Thompson was
WING. and he hated slavery.
Father a Coal Miner.
II was In Wayne county. not far
from where the original capt Thomp-
son had settled nearly century he
fore. that the father of Carmi Thomp-
son took up the work Of a coal miner.
He followed his occupation 30 years.
and when the son Carmi wss a lad
worked In West Virginia, Kentucky.
and ohio. finally settling IN Ironton.
possibly 50 that tho son could enter
ohio politics later on.
Both the father and mother ~ the
new secretary are living At lronton.
As a lad Carmi Thompson had TO
work. bur he determined very carly 20
secure an education and 70 achieve
something beyond the dull routine ~
a miners iife After the usual high
school training no decided upon
college course and he saved his
money while working IN a brick yard
and m the mines until h. thought
himself capable 81 working his way
through the state University 81 Co
iumhus
= mad ius' f7s when entered The
college" said SECRETARY Thompson IN
telling ~ his earIv life yesterday. and
= had about So whom graduated In
June. fsPT." when the remark was
made that he bad struggled some 90
nchie's Oh edurafior and yet up IN
Fhs world no mndssflg repied
There was mot o. much ~ "a sfrug
Eie ftruf f simply worked NV
wat Through roilerf ae thousands .
tn.rE men have dor~ and are doing
steft fsar
once graduated 90 hshooref ne
rnHra mon from frorfrr fa hrafie
fnf ssHr0- fhaf DO nriErf gain 'if.
80 capita fnr Az rolrs. A trustee