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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1882

Vol. III
p359
2942

(Born Ky.)

John T. Thompson​1

(Ap'd Ky.)

11

John Taliaferro Thompson: Born Dec. 31, 1860, Newport, KY.

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1878, to June 13, 1882, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieut., 2d Artillery, June 13, 1882.

Served: in garrison at Newport Barracks, Ky., July 16, 1882, to Jan. 4, 1884; at the Torpedo School, Willet's Point, N. Y., Jan. 7 to July 1, 1884; in garrison at Newport Barracks, Ky., to Sep. 9, 1884, — Ft. McHenry, Md., to June 1, 1885, — Jackson Barracks, La., to Sep. 25, 1885, — Little Rock Barracks, Ark., to Oct. 18, 1887, — Mt. Vernon Barracks, Ala., to Aug. 24, 1888, — and at the Artillery School for Practice, Ft. Monroe, Va., to –––––.

Vol. IV
p356
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. — Served: At Artillery School, Fort Monroe, until July 27, 1890 (Graduate, 1890). — Under orders of Secretary of the Navy at Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard, July 28, 1890

(Transferred to Ordnance Department, Dec. 15, 1890)

 p357  to Jan. 10, 1891. — Inspection duty, Builder's Iron Foundry, Providence, R. I., Jan. 15-March 1, 1891. — Assistant and principal Assistant, Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., March 5, 1891–Aug. 2, 1894. — Commanding Omaha Ordnance Depot and Chief Ordnance Officer, Department of the Platte, Omaha, Neb., Aug. 3, 1894 to June 18, 1895. — Chief Ordnance Officer, Department of the Missouri, Chicago, June 19, 1895 to Aug. 18, 1896. — Principal Assistant Instructor of Ordnance and Gunnery, U. S. Military Academy, Aug. 20, 1896 to April 26, 1898. — Commanding Ordnance Depot, Tampa, Fla., April 28 to Oct. 12, 1898. — Chief Ordnance Officer, Headquarters U. S. forces, Tampa, Fla., May‑June, 1898.

(Captain, Ordnance, June 15, 1898)

(Lieut.‑Colonel and Chief Ordnance Officer, U. S. Volunteers, July 18, 1898)

— Chief Ordnance Officer, 4th Army Corps, July 28, 1898. — Member of Board of Officers to select camp sites in Cuba and charged with arrangements for Ordnance Depots on that Island, Oct. 12 to Nov. 22, 1898. — On duty at Ordnance Office, War Department, Nov. 23, 1898 to ––––

(Honorably discharged from Volunteer Service, May 12, 1899)º

Vol. V
p333
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

Civil History. — Served: On duty at Ordnance Office, War Department, Nov. 3, 1898 to June 20, 1899.

(Honorably discharged from Volunteer Service, May 12, 1900)º

— Assistant, Springfield Armory, and Inspector of revolvers, automatic and gatling guns, Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co., Hartford, Conn., to April 19, 1904; on leave of absence for three months in Europe, from May 16, 1900; member and Recorder of board to test bullets for service pistols, Oct. 25, 1903 to Feb. 15, 1904; Assistant to the Commanding Officer, Rock Island Arsenal, to Oct. 25, 1907; member and recorder of board, Fort Leavenworth, Kas. to test sights for the magazine rifle, April 20, 1905.

(Major of Ordnance, June 25, 1906)

— Senior Assistant to the Chief of Ordnance, Washington, Oct. 25, 1907; appointed by the President, member of the Inter-Departmental Statistical Committee, Dec. 1, 1908.

(Lieut.‑Colonel of Ordnance, Jan. 21, 1909)

— Author of the Art of Designing and Constructing Small Arms — paper No. 27, International Engineering Congress, 1904; Modern Weapons of War, 1905; American Small Arms, X Edition Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Vol. VI
p334
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(John Taliaferro Thompson, Born Dec. 31, 1860)

Military History. —

Major, Ordnance Department, June 25, 1906

At Washington, D. C., Senior Assistant to the Chief of Ordnance, Oct. 25, 1907; Acting Chief of Ordnance, August and September, 1908, and at different periods thereafter in the absence of the Chief of Ordnance.

Lieut.‑Colonel, Ordnance Department, Jan. 21, 1909

Colonel, Ordnance Department, Oct. 30, 1913

Member of Executive Committee, National Rifle Association, Nov. 7, 1913.

Colonel, U. S. A., Retired, Nov. 2, 1914,
At His Own Request, After Over 30 Years' Service.

Recalled to active service in Ordnance Department, April 16, 1917; Chief of Small Arms Division, Ordnance Office, and in charge of design and manufacture of small arms and cartridges; Advisory Engineer, Director of Ordnance Training, Director of Arsenals to

(Brigadier-General, Ordnance Department, U. S. A., Aug. 8, 1918)

Dec. 20, 1918, when he was relieved from further active duty.

Author of Art of Designing and Constructing Small Arms, Paper No. 27, International Engineering Congress, 1904; Modern Weapons of War, 1905; American Small Arms in 10th Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Awarded

Distinguished Service Medal

March 7, 1919, "for exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous service as Chief of the Small Arms Division of the office of the Chief of Ordnance, in which capacity he was charged with the design and production of all small arms and ammunition thereby supplied to The United States Army, which results he achieved with such signal success that serviceable rifles and ample ammunition therefor were at all times available for all troops ready to receive and use them."

Civil History. — General Ordnance Engineer, Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co., 1914‑1917; Consulting Engineer, Eddystone Rifle Plant, Midvale Steel and Ordnance Co., 1915‑1917; Consulting Engineer, New York, 1919.

Vol. VII
p189
[Supplement, Vol. VII: 1920‑1930]

Military History: —

Colonel, U. S. A., Retired, Nov. 2, 1914,
At His Own Request, After Over 30 Years' Service.

Brigadier-General, Ordnance Department, U. S. A., Aug. 8, 1918.

Returned to Grade of Colonel, Dec. 20, 1918.

Brigadier-General, Ordnance, O. R. C., Nov. 22, 1924.

Transferred to Auxiliary Section, Dec. 31, 1924; commission expired Nov. 21, 1929.

Brigadier-General, U. S. A., Retired, June 21, 1930,
Act of June 21, 1930.

Civil History. — Author of "Art of Designing and Constructing Small Arms," Paper No. 27, International Engineering Congress, 1904; Modern Weapons of War, 1905; American Small Arms in 10th Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica; General Ordnance Engineer, Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Co., 1914‑1917; Consulting Engineer, Eddystone Rifle Plant, Midvale Steel and Ordnance Co., 1915‑1917; Consulting Engineer, N. Y., 1919; in England and on the Continent demonstrating the Thompson Submachine Gun, and the Thompson and the B. S. A. Thompson Auto-rifles, at armories and firing centers before Boards of Officers, 1921, 1923‑1924 and 1927; the Thompson Auto-rifle, cal. .303 was awarded the British War Office prize of £3000 for the best semi-automatic shoulder rifle submitted for test in competition open to all inventors at Enfield Armory, 1928; under the condition that the Testing Board of Officers found a self-loading rifle worthy of the prize; in Charge of Engineering for the Auto-Ordnance Corporation of N. Y., 1920‑1930; President of the John T. Thomson Corporation of New York (mechanical engineering and research) 1920‑1930; in 1920 and following years patented in U. S. and principal foreign countries 20 inventions relating to small arms, airplanes and machines; LL.D. Indiana University, 1922.

Vol. VIII
p63
[Supplement, Vol. VIII: 1920‑1930]

Military History. —

Col., Ret., Nov. 2, 1914.

Brig.‑Gen., Ret., June 21, 1930.

Died, June 21, 1940, at Great Neck, N. Y.: Aged 79.

Buried, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.


The Author's Note:

1 Son of Captain Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.James Thompson, Class of 1851.


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