Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/164

 THOMSON

THOMSON

(1875); Revieto tit Philadeljyhia, Aiigu.tt, 1777 (187S): The Dci>arture for the War, 17 7G; The Advance of the Enemy (ISSo), and Passing the Outjx)stH. owned by the Union League club. His descriptive and genre canvases include: ^4 Twilight in Corsica (1875); The School -House on the Hill, Paris exposition (1878); The Mark-et- Place in Biskra (1884); TJie Hour of Prayer; Re- turning from a Boar Hunt; Tangier; A Sabbath- Day in Troublous Times; Vieio of Mount Etna; Mid-Summer's Day on Long Island; By the Sea- Mentone; May Day in Fifth Averiue, Neic York; Halt of a Diligence; Old Stone Church; Sleepy Hollow; Winter Morning's Ride, and The Part- ing Guest, owned by the New York Historical society. His Xew England Homestead received a medal at the Universal exposition, Paris, 1889; his Deserted Inn was exiiibited at the Chicago exposition, 1893. and his painting of Old Briton Church, Williamsburg, Virginia, is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New Ynvk. He ilied in summit, N.J., Aug. 28, 1896.

THOAISON, Charles, patriot, was born in Magliera, county Derry, Ireland, Nov. 29, 1729. He was brought to this coiuitry in 1740, attended the academy of Francis Allison, and while still very young was made principal of a Friends academy at Newcastle, Pa. He was respected and trusted by the colonists, and was a promi- nent local leader during the strained relations with the mother country. He was the secretary in every Continental congress, 1774-89, and from the private memoranda that he made, compiled a history of the Revolution. He was married in 1777. to a daughter of Richard Harrison of Penn- sylvania. His translation of the Bible from tiie Greek in 1808 stands as a monument to early American .scholarsiiip. He is the author of: An Enquiry into the Causes of the Alienation of the Delaware and Shawaneese Indiaiis (1795); A Synopsis of the Four Evangelists, or a Regular History of the Conception. Birth, Doctrine, Miracles, Death, Resurrt'ction and Ascension of Jesiis Christ in the Words of the Evangelists (1805), and Critical Annotations on Gilbert Wakefield's Works, which was never published. He died in Lower Merion, Pa., Aug. 16, 1824.

THOMSON, Elihu, electrician, was born at Manchester. England, March 29, 1853; son of Daniel and Mary (Rhodes) Thomson; grandson of James and Margaret (Brock) Thomson, and of James and Nancy (Tennant) Rhodes. He was graduated from the Phila\^

daughter of Charles and Mary (Davis) Peck of New Britain, Conn. He was awarded the giand prix at Paris in 18S9, and again in 1900. for electrical inventions, and was decorated in 1889 by the French gov- ernment as chevalier and officer in the Legion of Honor for electrical research and invention. He became a member of the American Phil- osophical society, fel- low of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; past-presi- dent of the American Institute of Electri- cal Engineers; mem- ber of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Lon- don; and member of the corporation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He re- ceived from Yale the honorary degree of A.M in 1890. and from Tufts that of Ph.D. in 1894.

THOMSON, Frank, railway president, was born in Cliambersburg, Pa., July 5, 1841; son of Alexander Thomson (q.v.), and brother of Wil- liam Thomson (q.v.) He attended Chambers- burg academy; was employed in the Pennsyl- vania railroad shop, 1858-61, and in the service of the U.S. government in Virginia, building bridges and repairing railroads, 1861-62. He was transferred to Buel's army in 1832. assisting in its march through Kentuck}\ and later to the Army of the Potomac, taking an important part in the transportation arrangements of the 11th and 12th Corps to Chattanooga, in 1863. He was subse- quently in charge of the railroads south of Nash- ville, which were used to supply the Union army. He left the army in 1864; was a|)pointed super- intendent of the eastern division of the Piiiladel- phia and Erie railroad, and also of motive i)ower on the Pennsylvania railroad, 1873, becoming gen- eral-manager of the latter, Oct. 1, 1874; second vice-president, Oct. 1, 1882; fir.st vice-president, Oct. 27, 1888, and president. February, 1897. He was married to a daughter of Benjamin Clark of New York. Mr. Thomson died at Merion, Pa., June 5. 1S1I9.

THOnSON, John Edgar, railroad-president, was born in Springfield. Pa., Feb. 10, 1808; son of John Thomson. He was employed in 1827, in surveying for the Philadelphia and Cumberland railroad; became principal assistant engineer of the eastern division of the C.imden and Ambo}' railroad in 1830; chief engineer of the Georgia railroad, 1832, and general manager of the same, 1847; was subsequently chief engineer of the