Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-07-10
Montana S Wealthiest Som.
William Boyce Thompson
Smccmmbs to Pneumonia

WILLIAM BOYCE THOMPSON,
w commonly known to his Montana
" friends as Boulder" Thompson,
who died recently at his home in
Yonkers, N. Y, was born in Virginia
City, in Madison county, May Is, 1869.
At the time of his death he was the
wealthiest native born Montanan, his
fortune being variously estimated at
from $3.50, 000, 900 to 5000, 000, 900 or
more. Mr.. Thompson was the son of
one of Montana's early day pioneers,
William Thompson, a carpenter, who
came to Montana in 1863. He after
wards engaged in the lumber business,
in which he was a prominent figure
in this state for many years and in
which William Boyce Thompson was
for a long time associated with him.
Father In Lumber Business
The Thompson family remained in
Virginia City until 1876, the father
being a member Of the lumber firm
of Griffith & Thompson. They then
removed to Glendale in Beaverhead
county and remained for three years.
He was mayor Of Butte at one time
and had a large lumber establishment
there as we'll as n at Helena. Will
liam Boyce Thompson was for several
years the manager of the Helena
branch, which was known as the Mon
tana Lumber and Manufacturing COM
pany.
William Boyce Thompson received
his education in the public schools OF
Virginia City, Glendale and Butte,
later attending Phillips Exeter acad-
envy and Columbia university school
of mines. When the first real copper
boom came in the western country In
the latter part Of the century last
past, young Thompson decided he could
make money faster In the mining game
than in lumber and became a pro-
moter. He first put over the Shannon
Copper company, which was success
full. Fat years and lean followed.
Then through George Gum, formerly
an ore buyer for the plant of the
American Smelling and Refining COM
pany at East Helena, he acquired an
option on copper property at Ely, New.
Out Of this grew the Ely CONSOLIDATE
ed, destined to be n Of the vests
most famous copper properties, and
Both Gum and Thompson became
millionaires almost over night. Thomp-
sons biggest kill in those early days,
however, vas in Nipissing Copper, out
of which he was said to have cleaned
up SOS, 0O0, 900. The success of this
venture attracted the attention OF the
Guggenheims and of Thomas Hayden
Of Hayden, Stone & Co., and Thomp-
son was invited to go to New York,
where he became q partner in Hayden,
Stone 81 Co., and a financing repre-
sentative OF the G%uggenheims.
In the next 10 years the fortune Of
Mr.. Thompson grew to amazing pro-
portions. He acquired control OF man.
ufacturlng concerns such as Knox Hat,
Curtis Aeroplane and many others
When the World war came along
Thompson gave Herbert Hoover, as d.
rector of the Belgian relief, 500, 600 for
the fund and also induced the Rocky
Mountain club Of New York, OF which
he was a director, to turn over its
half million dollar building fund to
the Belgian relief fund. He personally
financed the Red Cross relief expedi-
ton to Russia and went at the head
OF 1t with the rank of colonel. He
remained active In wal work until the
struggle was over. During the Harding
campaign he was treasurer OF the re-
publican national committee.
Partial to Montana
During all the years that he had
lived in New York Colonel Thompson
never lost his love for Montana nor his
interest in Montana people and places.
He gave to Virginia City, his birth
place, the ThompSon-Hickman free
public library; he gave $4,000 only re-
Gently for the erection Of a new fence
around and Identification OF the
grounds of the old Benton cemetery
in Helena where many pioneers are
buried.
A number of years ago he established
the Boyce Thompson institute for plant
research and maintained extensive
laboratories for 1t In his home town OF
Yonkers, N. Y. For his interest along
this line he was awarded by the Mas
Sa~chusetts Horticultural society, the
George Robert White gold medal, con-
s1dered the highest honor in horti-
culture In America.
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