author
Richard W. (Richard Wigginton) Thompson
1809–1900
A self-made lawyer and politician, he rose from teaching school and studying law at night in Indiana to become a congressman, Cabinet member, and noted public speaker. He is best remembered for serving as Secretary of the Navy under President Rutherford B. Hayes.
1 Audiobook
The Footprints of the Jesuits
by Richard W. (Richard Wigginton) Thompson
About the author
Born in Culpeper County, Virginia, in 1809, he moved west as a young man, spending time in Kentucky before settling in Indiana. There he taught school, worked in business, and studied law at night before joining the bar in 1834.
His long public career included service in both houses of the Indiana legislature and several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. A Whig who later became a Republican, he was closely connected with national politics in the years around the Civil War and afterward built a reputation as an energetic campaigner and speaker.
In 1877 he entered President Rutherford B. Hayes's Cabinet as Secretary of the Navy, a post he held until 1880. After leaving office he remained a prominent figure in Indiana public life, and he died in Terre Haute in 1900.