Torger G. Thompson

Torger G. Thompson (March 19, 1853 – November 12, 1923) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Biography

Thompson was born on March 19, 1853, in Deerfield, Wisconsin^[1][2] or Christiana, Wisconsin,^[3] the son of Gulleik Thorstenson Saude and Dønot Torgersdatter Røthe.^[3] He was an active member of his local Lutheran church. He married Alice Musifin in 1883.^[1] He died at his farm in Deerfield in 1923.^[1]

Career

Thompson was elected to the Assembly in 1902.^[1] In addition, he served as a town chairman. He was a Republican.

Legacy

Upon his death, Thompson left an estate worth $500,000. The bulk of the estate, $300,000, was willed to the University of Wisconsin for the Thompson Chair of Scandinavian Languages to assist Scandinavian students. Smaller amounts were willed to St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, to create the Torger G. Thompson Fund, and to the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, the Martin Luther Orphan Home at Stoughton, Wisconsin, and the Homme Orphan Home at Wittenberg, Wisconsin.^[4][5]

See also

• The Political Graveyard

References

1. "Torger Thompson, Philanthropist, Is Called by Death". The Capital Times. Madison, WI. November 13, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved February 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
2. "Statewide County WI Archives Biographies.....Thompson, Torger G." USGenWeb Archives. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
3. "Dødsfald i Amerika / Deaths in America" (PDF). Vossingen. 5 (4): 27–28. 1923.
4. "U. W. Given $300,000 Bequest. T. G. Thompson Wills Fortune for Education". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, WI. November 18, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.  
5. "Thompson Will Gives $300,000 to University". The Capital Times. Madison, WI. November 19, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved March 1, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.