Edward Thompson

As printed in 1916

EDWARD THOMPSON.

Probably no man of the town of Erhard, in Otter Tail county. Minnesota, has taken a more conspicuous or important part in the business life of Erhard and the vicinity than has Edward Thompson, who is cashier of the Erhard State Bank. A man of broad experience, one who has been a farmer, a merchant, a public officer, and now as a financier conducting the affairs of one of the most prosperous of the smaller banking institutions of the commonwealth, he has a record which is most enviable and one to which his friends and many admirers point with justifiable pleasure and pride.

Edward Thompson was born in Norwood, Carver county, Minnesota, November 13, 1877. the son of Knut D. and Mary 1 ( gunderson) Thompson, the father a native of Norway, in which country he was born in 1847, and the mother a native of Carver county. Minnesota. Knut Thompson came to America in 1867 and settled in the state of Wisconsin, where he lived for some years and then went to the city of Minneapolis. Minnesota, accepting employment there for some time, after which he went to Carver county, Minnesota, there starting a blacksmith shop, which he operated for about five years and then came to Otter Tail county, locating in Maplewood township for one year. Coming to the town of Erhard, Knut Thompson established the first blacksmith shop of the town, following his trade at this place until the year 1906, when he went to Stanley, North Dakota, there homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land on which he lived for a short time and then went to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where he has since lived a retired life.

Mary (Gunderson) Thompson, mother of the subject of this sketch, is the daughter of John Gunderson and wife, who shortly before the Civil War left his native land of Norway and came to America, settling in Carver county. Minnesota, where he engaged in general farming until the year [883, when with his family, he moved to Erhard, Minnesota, and lived in retirement for the next twenty years, and then, his wife having died, he moved to Audubon and there spent the remainder of his days with a son. To the marriage of Knut and Mary (Gunderson) Thompson were born the following children: Edward, the subject of this sketch; Emma, a school principal at Jamestown, North Dakota; Juanita, who married George H. Newbert, president of the First National Bank, at Mora, Minnesota, and Anton, who died in 1903.

Edward Thompson was educated in the public schools of Erhard and in the schools of Fergus Falls, after which, with his father, he conducted a hardware store at Erhard for seven years and then accepted a position as grain buyer for the Minneapolis and Northern Grain Company, a business in which he continued for five years. In the year 1907 he went to Mountrail county. North Dakota, there taking a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he lived for one year, afterward returning to his former position as a grain buyer, a work which he followed for about four years, then became a grain buyer for the Farmers Elevator Company, of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In the year 1913 Edward Thompson, with other progressive citizens of Erhard and vicinity, organized the Erhard State Bank, of Erhard, Minnesota, he at the time being elected as cashier of the institution, an office which he has since held to the satisfaction of all, managing this flourishing banking house with its capital of ten thousand dollars and its surplus of two thousand dollars, without criticism or complaint from its one hundred and fifty depositors, with their fifty thousand dollars of deposits. Associated with Mr. Thompson in the conduct of this financial institution are the following directors, all well-known men of Otter Tail county, Minnesota: E. A. Jewett, president: Knut Stenerson, vice-president: H. H. Knobel, Axel Knutson, P. M. KnolT and I. O. Grina.

On June 29, [904, Edward Thompson was married to Julia Anderson, a native of the state of Minnesota, and to this marriage have been born six children, Janice, Marion, Ruby, Laila, Palma and George Edward.

Edward Thompson has found time to serve his township in public office, for more than twelve years having served in his usual efficient manner as township clerk. In politics, Mr. Thompson is independent of party. In fraternal circles, Edward Thompson is a leading member of the lodge of Ancient Order of United Workmen, an organization in which he takes a prominent part.

As printed in History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1916). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.