William H. Thompson (Kansas politician)
American politician, Kansas
William Howard Thompson (October 14, 1871 - February 9, 1928) was an attorney, judge, and politician who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1913 to 1919. A Democrat from a heavily Republican state, Thompson was a national leader in the Prohibition and women's suffrage movements, and supported many of the progressive reforms put forth by President Woodrow Wilson while maintaining a reputation for independence from his party.
He holds the ignominious distinction of suffering the worst re-election defeat of any incumbent U.S. Senator in history, losing to popular Republican governor Arthur Capper by 30 percentage points in 1918. Thompson is one of only three Democrats ever sent to the U.S. Senate from Kansas, along with John Martin and George McGill.
Early life and career
Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, he moved with his parents to Nemaha County, Kansas in 1880, where attended the public schools and graduated from the Seneca Normal School in 1886. He graduated from the Lawrence Business College in 1891 and began studying law under his father, John Franklin Thompson, a Union Civil War veteran, attorney, and judge. The younger Thompson was the official court reporter of the twenty-second judicial district of Kansas from 1891 to 1894 before gaining admission to the bar, joining his father's practice in Seneca. He was appointed clerk of the Kansas Court of Appeals in Topeka in 1897, moving to Iola, Kansas in 1901 when his term expired.
Political career
Thompson's first elected office was as county attorney of Allen County, before moving to Garden City in 1905. One year later, he was elected judge of the thirty-second judicial district, the first Democrat ever elected to the heavily Republican seat, earning reelection in 1910.
The public source identifies “William H. Thompson (Kansas politician)” as american politician, Kansas. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around William, Thompson and Kansas.
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