William F. Thompson (1852 – ?) was a lawyer, law school teacher, justice of the peace, tax assessor, state legislator, and delegate to Florida's 1885 Constitutional Convention.[1]
William F. Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Florida House of Representatives | |
| In office 1887–1888 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 15, 1852 Thomas County, Georgia |
| Political party | Republican |
Biography
editThompson was born October 15, 1852, in Thomas County, Georgia, and his only formal education was in common schools.[1] He was African American.[2]
He was married, had two children and was a member of the African Methodist Church.[1]
Thomson was appointed as Justice of the Peace from 1872 until 1873 and again in 1874.[3]
He represented Leon County, Florida, in the Florida House of Representatives in 1877[4] as a Republican.[1]
In 1884 he served as the city tax assessor for Tallahassee, Florida[1] and again in 1887.[3]
He was a delegate at the 1885 Florida Constitutional Convention also representing Leon County.[5][4] At the convention he voted for the article for education to establish, maintain and manage normal schools funded by a poll tax with equal distribution for "white and colored children", even though it included segregation.[6] He was a signatory on the final Constitution of 1885 signed August 3, 1885.[7]
His death is unknown but he was still alive in Tallahassee in 1891.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Senate, Florida Legislature (November 28, 1939). "Journal of the Senate, State of Florida". The State – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Florida Historical Quarterly". Florida Historical Society. November 28, 1963 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Brown, Canter (1998). Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924. University of Alabama Press. p. 132. ISBN 978-0-8173-0915-2. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ a b Oliva, Jose R (February 2019). The People of Lawmaking in Florida 1822 - 2019 (PDF). p. 184. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ Society, Tallahassee Historical (November 28, 1937). "Annual". Tallahassee Historical Society. – via Google Books.
- ^ Rivers, Larry Eugene; Brown, Canter (2006). ""A Monument to the Progress of the Race": The Intellectual and Political Origins of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, 1865-1887". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 85 (1): 1–41. JSTOR 30150046. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "Constitution of the State of Florida, 1885". Florida Memory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
