Charles Collins Thompson
Encyclopedia
Charles Collins Thompson (July 3, 1898–August 5, 1983) was a Texas
judge, attorney, banker and rancher. He was a native of Erath County, Texas
. He was the son of Charles Madison Thompson (1862–1942) and Annie Margaret Jane Altman (1871–1937).
descent but was of Choctaw
(Yowani Choctaws
) and Chickasaw
descent through Margaret McCoy-Thompson, his great grandmother. He remained on the Executive Committee until 1980. In 1935 was elected to the board of directors of City National Bank in Colorado City, Texas
and was serving as its president in 1938 and in 1955 as its board of directors chairman.
In 1943 he was appointed a director of the Tenth District Farm Credit Board of Houston and was elected its chairman in 1952. Of his many notable achievements, his appointment in 1957 by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower
to chair the credit committee of the Drought Conference in Wichita, Kansas
, was one of his proudest. Thompson's commitment to farmers and ranchers in dire financial circumstances gained him the nickname of "Mr. Farm Credit".
In 1971 he pushed his way onto the national scene by taking a leading role in getting the Farm Credit Act passed. This led to his being named "Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture" in 1972 by Progressive Farmer magazine. Further, his involvement as a Director of the Texas Electric Service Company proved to be instrumental in the subsequent building of Lake Colorado City.
Charles Thompson was appointed by Texas Governor James B. Allred in 1937, to serve on the board of directors of Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
). In 1958, Texas Tech awarded him an honorary doctorate and a dormitory was named in his honor. The university honored him again in 1978 by establishing the Charles C. Thompson Professorship in Agricultural Finance through the College of Agricultural Sciences
.
in Colorado City.
Thompson married Ewell Gary on September 12, 1922. She died in 1955. Following her death, Charles married Emabeth Pittman on January 21, 1956. He had no children from either marriage. He died in Mitchell County, Texas.
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
judge, attorney, banker and rancher. He was a native of Erath County, Texas
Erath County, Texas
Erath County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 33,001. It is named for George Bernard Erath, an early surveyor and a soldier at the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Stephenville....
. He was the son of Charles Madison Thompson (1862–1942) and Annie Margaret Jane Altman (1871–1937).
Background
Thompson never graduated college but was admitted to the bar after passing the examination in 1923. He was elected County Judge of Mitchell County in 1924. In 1932 he was one of the primary organizers of the Mitchell County Agricultural Credit Corporation, and was elected chairman of the Mitchell County School Board in 1933. He continued in that capacity until 1978. That year he was appointed to the Executive Committee of Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands by Judge Foster T. Bean, (although he was not of CherokeeCherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
descent but was of Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
(Yowani Choctaws
Yowani Choctaws
Yowani is a branch of the Choctaw tribe which became part of the Caddo Confederacy. The Yowani were named for their village, the reason for the founding of a trading post and what became the European-American town of Shubuta, Mississippi nearby...
) and Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
descent through Margaret McCoy-Thompson, his great grandmother. He remained on the Executive Committee until 1980. In 1935 was elected to the board of directors of City National Bank in Colorado City, Texas
Colorado City, Texas
Colorado City is a city in and the county seat of Mitchell County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,281 at the 2000 census....
and was serving as its president in 1938 and in 1955 as its board of directors chairman.
In 1943 he was appointed a director of the Tenth District Farm Credit Board of Houston and was elected its chairman in 1952. Of his many notable achievements, his appointment in 1957 by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
to chair the credit committee of the Drought Conference in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, was one of his proudest. Thompson's commitment to farmers and ranchers in dire financial circumstances gained him the nickname of "Mr. Farm Credit".
In 1971 he pushed his way onto the national scene by taking a leading role in getting the Farm Credit Act passed. This led to his being named "Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture" in 1972 by Progressive Farmer magazine. Further, his involvement as a Director of the Texas Electric Service Company proved to be instrumental in the subsequent building of Lake Colorado City.
Charles Thompson was appointed by Texas Governor James B. Allred in 1937, to serve on the board of directors of Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
). In 1958, Texas Tech awarded him an honorary doctorate and a dormitory was named in his honor. The university honored him again in 1978 by establishing the Charles C. Thompson Professorship in Agricultural Finance through the College of Agricultural Sciences
Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
Texas Tech University College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources is a college at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. The agriculture program has existed at Texas Tech since 1925 making it one of the original programs at the university. The college currently contains six departments...
.
Later Life and Family
In addition to his involvement with helping farmers, Charles was also interested in developing his local business community. With his eye on growth he served as President of the Colorado City Chamber of Commerce for five years and served for over twenty-five years on various committees of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. Finally, he was also a devout Christian as both a member and Sunday School teacher of the First United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
in Colorado City.
Thompson married Ewell Gary on September 12, 1922. She died in 1955. Following her death, Charles married Emabeth Pittman on January 21, 1956. He had no children from either marriage. He died in Mitchell County, Texas.
See also
- William Clyde ThompsonWilliam Clyde ThompsonCaptain William Clyde Thompson was a Texas Choctaw leader who rallied against the Dawes Commission for Choctaw enrollment. He was born in 1839 near Fort Towson in the Choctaw Nation.-Background:...
- John Martin ThompsonJohn Martin ThompsonJohn Martin Thompson , Lumberman, civic leader, was born in the old Cherokee Nation prior to removal in what is now Cass County, Georgia. He was the son of Benjamin Franklin Thompson, a South Carolinian of Scottish descent, and Annie Martin a mix blood Cherokee...
- Martin Luther ThompsonMartin Luther ThompsonMartin Luther Thompson was a Texas Choctaw leader and rancher who along with his relatives, William Clyde Thompson , Robert E. Lee Thompson and John Thurston Thompson , led several families of Choctaws from the Mount Tabor Indian Community in Rusk County, Texas to Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation,...
- Yowani ChoctawsYowani ChoctawsYowani is a branch of the Choctaw tribe which became part of the Caddo Confederacy. The Yowani were named for their village, the reason for the founding of a trading post and what became the European-American town of Shubuta, Mississippi nearby...
External links
- Asbury Cemetery, Smith County, Texas, Information related to Choctaw and Cherokee descendants buried there, by Paul Ridenour, 2005
- Book Search, Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico By Frederick Webb Hodge
- Handbook of Texas Online: Charles Collins Thompson, By H. Allen Anderson
- Some East Texas Native Families: Texas Cherokees and Associate Bands Genealogy Project: Rootsweb Global Search: Familyties
- Welcome to the Culpepper.Net Genealogy pages
- News From The University Archives, "Out with the old and in with the new" Texas Tech University