Joseph Thompson (doctor) facts for kids
Dr. Joseph Thompson (September 29, 1797 – August 21, 1885) was an important early settler of Atlanta, Georgia. He was a doctor, a hotel manager, and a smart investor in land. He helped Atlanta grow from a small railroad stop into a busy city.
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Thompson
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| Born | September 29, 1797 |
| Died | August 21, 1885 (aged 87) Pryor Street, Atlanta, Georgia
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Settler, doctor, hotelier, real-estate investor |
| Organization | Medical College in Atlanta |
| Spouse(s) |
Mary Ann Tomlinson Young
(m. 1827; died 1849)Second wife
(m. 1851; died 1854)Third wife
(m. 1858; died 1878) |
| Relatives | Richard Peters (son-in-law) |
Contents
Life of Joseph Thompson
Early Years and Moving to Georgia
Joseph Thompson was born on September 29, 1797, in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. His family came from Pennsylvania. When he was young, he started practicing medicine.
Later, he moved to a new town in Georgia called Decatur. In 1827, he married Mary Ann Tomlinson Young. Dr. Thompson was a busy man. He ran a stagecoach business, carrying people and goods between cities like Milledgeville (which was the state capital then) and Tuscumbia, Alabama. He also owned an inn in Decatur.
He was a respected person in Decatur. He was friends with important people like Judge William Ezzard and John Glen, who both later became mayors of Atlanta. The people of Decatur trusted him to make sure the main train station for the Western and Atlantic Railroad was not built in their small town.
Moving to Atlanta
As the railroad stop, first called Terminus, then Marthasville, and finally Atlanta, began to grow, the Georgia Railroad built a brick hotel for its workers. They asked Dr. Thompson to manage it.
In 1845, Dr. Thompson and his family moved to the newly founded town of Atlanta. He managed the Atlanta Hotel, which was the biggest and best hotel in town at that time. He was known as a very friendly and funny host. Many important people stayed at his hotel, including Atlanta's first mayor, Moses Formwalt. The hotel was later destroyed during the Battle of Atlanta.
Dr. Thompson's oldest daughter, Mary Jane, married Richard Peters in 1848. Dr. Thompson experienced personal losses, as his first wife passed away in 1849. He married again in 1851, and then a third time in 1858.
Contributions to Atlanta
Dr. Thompson owned many important pieces of land in the growing city. One of these was the future location of the SunTrust Bank building at Five Points, a major intersection in Atlanta.
In 1850, he was part of a group that brought the city its first agricultural fair. This fair was held on new land at the end of Fair Street, which is now called Memorial Drive.
After the American Civil War, Dr. Thompson sold a lot of his land, including the spot where his hotel used to be. The Kimball House, another famous hotel, was later built there. In 1867, when General Pope ordered committees to oversee changes in voter status, Dr. Thompson was chosen to lead the committee for Atlanta.
When Dr. Joseph Thompson passed away in 1885 at the age of 87, he was the president of the Medical College in Atlanta. He still lived on Pryor Street, a well-known street in the city.
