William F. Thompson

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
BornOctober 15, 1852
Thomas County, Georgia
Political partyRepublican

Biography

Thompson 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

References
  1. Senate, Florida Legislature (November 28, 1939). "Journal of the Senate, State of Florida". The State – via Google Books.
  2. "The Florida Historical Quarterly". Florida Historical Society. November 28, 1963 – via Google Books.
  3. 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.
  4. Oliva, Jose R (February 2019). The People of Lawmaking in Florida 1822 - 2019 (PDF). p. 184. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. Society, Tallahassee Historical (November 28, 1937). "Annual". Tallahassee Historical Society. – via Google Books.
  6. 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.closed access
  7. "Constitution of the State of Florida, 1885". Florida Memory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
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