In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1899) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From The history of the bench and bar of Missouri : With reminiscences of the prominent lawyers of the past, and a record of the law's leaders of the present (1898), Encyclopedia of the history of St. Louis, a compendium of history and biography (v. 4) (1899)
SEYMOUR DWIGHT THOMPSON,
IN Judge Seymour Dwight Thompson, of St. Louis, is found an exceptional instance of that law of evolution wherein resistance of subversive influences develops strength and the struggle to overcome adverse environment promotes growth. He is essentially a self-made man, and occupies his present honorable position in the legal world solely hy reason of his own native energy, capacity and talent. If any member of a learned profession in the State has reason to be proxtd of his achievements, it is the subject of this sketch; for pluck and ability, and not fortuitous circumstance, have been the means whereby he has reached a commanding position as lawyer, Judge and legal author.
Judge Thompson's early life was best with obstacles which he was compelled to surmount and difficulties which he was forced to meet, and his courage, high ambition and ultimate triumph in resistance should be an inspiration and encouragement to every brave-hearted boy. He was born in Will County, Illinois, September 18, 1842. His father was a Presbyterian clergyman, but lost his voice in consequence of asthma, and w.t; oblicred to go to farming to support a large family. He removed to Cook County,
Illinois, when young Thompson was two years old and in 1855 he removed to Fayette County, Iowa, and purchased a new farm. There were no schools in the neighborhood; young Thompson wanted to go to school. He accordingly ran away from home at the age of thirteen and started back to Illinois. He made his way on foot about one hundred miles, and hired out to a farmer in Dubuqiie County. Here he accidentally found, in the immediate neighborhood, some of his mother's relatives, whose whereabouts had been long unknown to her, and he went to live with them, but did not write home to let his parents know where he was. He had been with them about six weeks, when one day he saw a man approaching him in the field. It turned out to be his next older brother, who broke to him the astoitnding news that his father and youngest brother — the latter eight years old — had been burned to death in a prairie fire. Their new home in Iowa had been broken up. His mother, this brother and his only sister, two years younger than he, had started back to Illinois. While journeying back in a wagon, they had heard, through an accidental circumstance, of their long lost kinfolks, and, stopping to pay them a visit, found with them their lost boy. Young Thompson's elder brother returned to their homestead, and he took his mother and sister back to relatives in Illinois. From this time on, he was thrown entirely upon his own resources, and was entirely his own master.
Such conditions would have discouraged and crushed a weak and undecided character, but with him the struggle brought to the surface his courage and determination and developed and rounded out his natural mental vigor and strength of character. He suffered the experiences of the boy of that day in straitened circumstances with only the limited opportunities of a rural district but little advanced beyond pioneer days. Until his sixteenth year he worked as a hired boy on the farm, obtaining the means of subsistence in the summer, wherewith he might attend school in the v/inter. It may well be believed that under such circumstances he was duly impressed with the value of time, and it is no surprise to know that in his sixteenth year he made his first great step forward by cjualifying and securing the position of a country school teacher. By this means his earning power was not only increased, but he was given more time to devote to his books. For three years he taught school part of each year, and attended the higher schools the balance of the time. By such means he secured the advantages of Rock River and Clark Seminaries of Illinois, and was preparing to enter college when the Civil War broke out.
As was natural in a youth who had exhibited the energy and force of character of young Thompson, he entertained pronounced and radical opinions on the great questions then dividing men. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Union and abandoned all his early cherished educational plans to respond to the first call for troops. He joined an Iowa regiment as a private and served throughout the war, seeing much hard and dangerous duty. That he bore himself no less gallantly as a soldier than he has carried himself honorably in civil life, is demonstrated by the fact that he came out of the army a Captain. During the last year of the war he was also appointed and acted as Judge Advocate.
After being mustered out he found himself in Memphis, Tennessee, charged with the duty of resuming the struggle to win success at the hands of Fortune. His military position as Judge Advocate had given him some insight into legal methods and turned his attention to the law. He therefore determined to qualify himself in that profession, and as one who has written of his life at this period says: ' ' He set about acquiring a legal education with the same determination that characterized his earlier efforts in his literary course, under circumstances equally as adverse, though far different in nature, and amid surroundings peculiarly unfriendly to such an undertaking. His means of livelihood during this period of preparation were diversified, precarious, and altogether unsuited to the tastes of a man of his lofty ambition and great capabilities. For a time he served as patrolman on the metropolitan police force of Memphis, almost literally wielding club with one hand and clinging to text-book with the other. Afterwards he secured employment directly in line with his purpose, in the office of the Clerk of the Municipal Court, and afterwards in the office of the Clerk of the Law Court of Memphis, continuing to utilize his spare moments in reading law; and thus, after surmounting the obstructions that lie in the path, in greater or less degree, of every student whose daily bread must be earned desultorily in other pursuits than that in which he seeks proficiency with a view of permanently following, he was admitted to the bar at Memphis in the year 1869; and the career of a lawyer was commenced whose impress has been ineffaceably made upon the jurisprudence of America."
After three years of practice in Memphis, he came to St. I/Ouis, there met and impressed United States Circuit Judge John F. Dillon, who made him Master in Chancery. He continued to rise in his profession until 1880, when against a huge Democratic majority he was elected as a Republican, Judge of the St. louis Court of Appeals. During the twelve years he occupied that bench he made a reputation which placed him in the galaxy of Missouri's ablest jurists.
Judge Thompson has always displayed a strong literary bent, and after his retirement from the bench he resumed the work in this field, in which he had already had considerable experience. He confined himself wholly to subjects of a legal nature, and has produced a large number of works which are destined to rank as authorities on the matters of which they treat. Notable among these is " Thompson on Corporations," in six large vohimes, which is considered a most exhaustive and profound work, and to which the author has contributed the labor, accumulated wisdom and experience of a lifetime. His first work was a compilation on which he collaborated with Thomas M. Steger, of Nashville, and this work is known as "Thompson & Steger's Tennessee Statutes," a work that met semiofficial indorsement through its adoption by the Tennessee Legislature for use in the State offices. Before this work was issued he started another — "Unreported Tennessee Cases" — but the printing contract having been let to a new and untried firm, so many errors occurred in the first volume through the fault of the proof-reader, that the author suppressed the entire edition. His next publication sprang from a suggestion of Jiidge Horrigan, of Memphis, Tennessee, and was a collection of cases illustrating the "Law of Self Defense." Because of this suggestion, as well as the fact that Judge Horrigan furnished the data for a number of the cases incorporated in the book, the author generously named it "Horrigan & Thompson's Cases on Self Defense." Following this came " Thompson on Homestead and Exemptions," "Liability of Stockholders in Corporations," "The Law of Negligence," "The Law of Carriers of Passengers," "Liability of Officers and Directors of Corporations," "Charging the Jury," " Thompson and Merriam on Juries," "Thompson on Trials," and "Thompson on the Law of Electricity." He now has considerable manuscript of books on hand which will be published at some future time.
It was through Judge Dillon, always his staunch friend and admirer, that Judge Thompson began his career as an editorial writer for legal periodicals. Shortly after his arrival in St. Louis, Judge Dillon had established the "Central Law Journal," still recognized as one of the most influential publications of its kind in the West. He employed young Thompson as assistant editor. Three years after this Judge Dillon retired from the editorial management, and Judge Thompson succeeded him. Shortly after this the "Southern lyaw Review" was transferred from Nashville to St. IvOuis, and he also assumed control of this journal, continuing as its editor until the "American Iaw Review" migrated from Boston and absorbed the "Southern Law Review," the two being yet known by the title of the former. Judge Thompson still continues as its principal editor, and besides has contributed hundreds of articles to other legal journals throughout the country in the last twenty years. That he should have turned out such a huge mass of literary work in these years is remarkable, considering the abstruseness of the subjects and the deep learning and patient care they show. But his friends know him as a man of tireless industry, extraordinary- mental vigor and a wonderful memory. He is a constant reader, and there are few books worthy of a higher place in literature that he has not read. As an illustration of his power of retaining what he reads, it is said that twenty years after having read " Paradise L/Ost," perhaps the most profound and recondite poem in any language, he could repeat the greater part of it readily. A work of his which has long been out of print is his " Recollections" of service in the Third Iowa Regiment, in which are graphic descriptions of the battle of Shiloh, and several other battles of the war.
Judge Thompson, beside his heavy literary labors, continues his practice as a lawyer, having formed in January, 1896, a partnership with Nathan Frank. One would suppose from reading this brief outline of his career that his labors have been sufficient to keep two men busy, but notwithstanding this, he found time to act as lecturer for several years on the Ivaw of Corporations in the Law vSchool of the Missouri University, and likewise in the Law School of the Northwestern University at Chicago.
Judge Thompson attributes much of his success in life to the love and assistance of a noble wife. In the dedication of one of his works he publicly recognizes her assistance, and of her he says: "On almost every page of my works on the law, I can trace the record of your intelligent, loving, patient assistance." The Judge's wife was Lucy A. Jennison, of Fort Atkinson, Iowa, to whom he was married in 1865, while still a soldier in the army. Of this marriage there are five surviving children: Dr. George H. Thompson, practicing medicine in St. Louis, and Professor in the St. Louis College of Physicians and Surgeons; William D. Thompson, successfully engaged in the practice of law in Racine, Wisconsin. One daughter is married to W. C. Middlekauff, a promising young lav/yer of Lanark, Illinois; the other to Lemuel A. Harlick, in business in Chicago, and the youngest son has commenced the practice of medicine in Racine, Wisconsin.
As printed in The history of the bench and bar of Missouri : With reminiscences of the prominent lawyers of the past, and a record of the law's leaders of the present (1898). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Thompson, Seymour Dwight, lawyer, jurist and author, was born in Will County, [illinois, September in. 1842. His father was a Presbyterian clergyman in early life, but failing health compelled him to abandon the ministry, and he afterward devoted himself to agricultural pursuits in Fayette County, Iowa. Judge Thompson was thirteen years old when his parents removed to Iowa, and thereafter he was dependent entirely upon his own resources. His father and younger brother were burned to death in a prairie fire shortly after the removal of the family to Iowa, and he returned with his mother and sister to [illinois. Until he was sixteen years old he worked on an Illinois farm, and then took the first step toward the realization of an ambition to enter professional life b\ becoming a country school teacher. He taught school during a part of each year for three years, and when not teaching he attended school at Rock River and Clark Seminaries, in Illinois. When the Civil War began he abandoned, for the time being, all his cherished plans for obtaining a collegiate education and enlisted in the Union Army, intent upon contributing his full share toward the suppression of the Southern insurrection and the maintenance of the Union. Joining an Iowa regiment as a private, he saw much service in the course of the war and bore himself so gallantly that he was mustered out of the army with the rank of captain, after having served a year as judge advocate of his brigade. lie was mustered out at Memphis, Tennessee, and having determined to adopt the law as his profession, he set about acquiring a legal education with the same determination that characterized his earlier efforts in his literary course. His means of livelihood during this period of preparation were diversified, precarious, and altogether unsuited to the tastes of a man of his lofty ambition and great capabilities. For a time he served as patrolman on the metropolitan police force of Memphis, and, while wielding a club with one hand, it may almost be said that he was clinging to a text-book with the other. Afterward he secured employment, directly in line with his purpose, in the office of the clerk of the municipal court, and still later in the office of the clerk of the law court of Memphis, continuing to utilize his spare moments in reading law. Thus, after surmounting the obstructions that lie in the path, in greater or less degu e, of every student whose daily bread must be earned in other pursuits than that in which he >eeks proficiency, he was admitted to the bar in Memphis in 1869. He practiced three years in Memphis and then came to St. Louis. where he made a marked impression upon Judge John F. Dillon, then on the bench of the United States circuit court, who appointed him master in chancery. From that time forward his professional patronage constantly increased and he steadily gained in prestige and prominence at the bar. In 1880 he was made the Republican nominee for judge of the St. Louis Court of Appeals, and. overcoming an adverse majority, was elected to that high office. Thereafter he occupied the bench of the Court of Appeals for a period of twelve years, and during that time took rank among the leadingjurists of Missouri. Havinga strong natural inclination toward literary work within the sphere of his profession, he turned his attention largely to work of this character after his retirement from the bench. His first work was a compilation, on which he collaborated with Thomas M. Steger, of Nashville, Tennessee, and which was entitled, "Thompson & Steger's Tennessee Statutes." This work was adopted by the Tennessee Legislature for use in the State offices. His next work was a collection of cases illustrating the law of self-defense, and by reason of the fact that its preparation was suggested to him by Judge Horrigan, he entitled it "Horrigan & Thompson's Cases on Self-Defense." He is the author also of "Thompson on Corporations," a work published in six large volumes; "Thompson on Homesteads and Exemptions," "Liability of Stockholders in Corporations." "The Law of Negligence," "The Law of Carriers of Passengers," "Liability of Officers and Directors of Corporations," "Charging the Jury," "Thompson & Merriam on Juries," "Thompson on Trials," and "Thompson on the Law of Electricity." It was through Judge Dillon, always his staunch friend and admirer, that Judge Thompson began his career as an editorial writer for legal periodicals. Shortly after his arrival in St. Louis Judge Dillon established the "Central Law Journal," still recognized as one of the most influential publications of its kind in the West. He employed Judge Thompson as assistant editor. When Judge Dillon retired from the editorial management of this journal, three years later, Judge Thompson succeeded him. Shortly after this the "Southern Law Review" was transferred from Nashville to St. Louis, and he assumed control of this journal, and continued to be its editor until the "American Law Review" absorbed the "Southern Law Review." After the consolidation of these two journals Judge Thompson continued to be the editor-in-chief of the "American Law Review." At the same time he was in active practice in St. Louis after his retirement from the bench until 1898, when he removed to New York to continue his practice and literary labors in that city. In addition to editing leading law journals, he has contributed hundreds of articles to other law journals of the country within the past twenty years, and he is widely known to his profession as a man of tireless industry, extraordinary mental vigor and wonderful memory. He is a constant reader, and there are few books worthy of a high place in literature which he has not read. As an illustration of his power of retaining what he reads it is said that twenty years after reading "Paradise Lost" he could repeat readily the greater part of that wonderful poem. During his residence in St. Louis he was identified with legal education as a lecturer on the law of corporations in the law school of Missouri University, and also in the law school of Northwestem University, at Chicago. Judge Thompson married, in 1865, Miss Lucy A. Jennison, of Fort Atkinson, Iowa. Their children are Dr. George H. Thompson, a physician of St. Louis; William D. Thompson, a member of the bar of Racine, Wisconsin; Mrs. W. C. Middlekauff. of Lanark, Illinois, and Mrs. Lemuel A. Harlich, of Chicago.
As printed in Encyclopedia of the history of St. Louis, a compendium of history and biography (v. 4) (1899). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
The printed record stops around 1898. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.