John R. Thompson

John Richardson Thompson (July 28, 1834 – February 12, 1894) was one of the seven founders of the The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry.^[1]

Biography

Thompson was born on July 28, 1834, in Littleton, New Hampshire. He became a member of the United States Department of the Treasury after his service in the American Civil War. He is believed to be the first to whom Oliver Hudson Kelley talked about his dream of setting up a fraternal organization of farmers. Thompson's Freemasonry training became a valuable tool in developing the ritualistic work of the The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, revolving the ritualistic teachings around the farm and farm family. He died on February 12, 1894.^[1]

↑ 1.0 1.1 Thomas Clark Atkeson (1916). John Richardson Thompson. One of the Founders of the Grange. John Richardson Thompson was born in Littleton, N. H., in 1833. His boyhood and early manhood were spent on the farm in New Hampshire and Vermont, where the family made their home. At the beginning of the Civil War he enlisted in Company K, 15th Vermont Volunteers. He was made lieutenant and promoted from time to time until he was transferred to the staff of Gen. Stannard with the rank of colonel. Soon after the war he obtained an appointment in the Treasury Department, which he held for many years. ...