James Thompson (jurist)

James Thompson (October 1, 1806 – January 28, 1874) was a politician and jurist from Pennsylvania.

Thompson was born in Middlesex Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania on October 1, 1806. After learning the printing trade, Thompson studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1829 and practiced as a lawyer in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Thompson served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1832–1834 and in 1855 and served as Speaker in 1834. He was a delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1838, and the presiding judge of the sixth judicial district court from 1838 until 1844, when he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. Thompson served in the Twenty-ninth, Thirtieth, and Thirty-first Congresses, from March 4, 1845 until March 3, 1851. He was the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary during his second term. In the 31st Congress, Thompson became the first recorded Democratic Caucus Chairman and the first official chairman of any party caucus in either house of Congress.

Thompson did not run for reelection in 1850, but instead returned to practicing law. He became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1857 to 1866, and served as chief justice of that court from 1866 to 1872. He returned to private practice until his death in Philadelphia on January 28, 1874. Thompson is interred in Woodlands Cemetery.

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
• The Political Graveyard

Chief Justices of Pennsylvania
18th Century	David Lloyd Jeremiah Langhorne James Logan William Allen Benjamin Chew Thomas McKean Edward Shippen, IV
19th Century	William Tilghman John Bannister Gibson Jeremiah S. Black Ellis Lewis Walter H. Lowrie George W. Woodward James Thompson John M. Read Daniel Agnew George Sharswood Ulysses Mercur Isaac G. Gordon Edward M. Paxson James P. Sterrett Henry Green J. Brewster McCollum
20th Century	James T. Mitchell D. Newlin Fell J. Hay Brown Robert von Moschzisker Robert S. Frazer John W. Kephart William I. Schaffer George W. Maxey James B. Drew Horace Stern Charles Alvin Jones John C. Bell Jr. Benjamin R. Jones Michael J. Eagen Henry X. O'Brien Samuel J. Roberts Robert N. C. Nix Jr. John P. Flaherty Jr. Ralph Cappy
21st Century	Ronald D. Castille Thomas G. Saylor

Speakers of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (since 1791)
Bingham Wynkoop Latimer Evans Weaver Snyder Porter Snyder Boileau Engle Weber Tod R. Smith St. Clair Holgate Hill Davidson Hill J. Lawrence Gilmore J. Lawrence Sutherland Ritner Middleswarth F. Smith Laporte Findley Anderson W. Patterson J. Thompson Middleswarth Dewart Hopkins Crabb Snowden H. Wright Snowden F. Patterson Cooper Packer McCalmont Cessna Rhey Schell Chase Strong R. Wright Getz Longaker W. Lawrence Davis Rowe Cessna Johnson Olmstead Kelley Glass Davis Clark Strang Webb Elliott McCormick S. Patterson Myer Long Hewitt Faunce Graham Boyer C. Thompson Walton Boyer Farr Marshall Walton McClain Cox Shreve Alter Ambler Baldwin Spangler Whitaker Goodnough Bluett McClure Hess Goodnough Talbot Sarig Furman Turner Kilroy Fiss Lichtenwalter Sorg C. Smith Andrews Helm Andrews Helm Hamilton Lee Fineman Lee Fineman Irvis Seltzer Ryan Irvis Manderino O'Donnell DeWeese Ryan Perzel O'Brien McCall S. Smith Turzai

Chairmen of the United States House Committee on the Judiciary
C. Ingersoll Nelson Sergeant Nelson Webster Barbour Buchanan Davis Foster Beardsley Thomas Sergeant Barnard Wilkins Saunders Rathbun J. Ingersoll Thompson McLanahan Stanton Simmons Houston Hickman Wilson Bingham Butler Knott T. Reed Tucker Culberson Taylor Culberson Henderson Ray Jenkins Parker Clayton Webb Volstead Graham Sumners Michener Celler C. Reed Celler Rodino Brooks Hyde Sensenbrenner Conyers Smith Goodlatte