Jacob Thompson

Jacob Thompson
Thompson between 1855 and 1865, by Matthew Brady
5th United States Secretary of the Interior
In office March 10, 1857 – January 8, 1861
President	James Buchanan
Preceded by	Robert McClelland
Succeeded by	Caleb Smith
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 1st district
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1851
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Benjamin D. Nabers
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's at-large district
In office March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1847 Seat A
Preceded by	Thomas J. Word
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	(1810-05-15)May 15, 1810 Leasburg, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 24, 1885(1885-03-24) (aged 74) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting place	Elmwood Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Catherine Jones
Education	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA)
Signature

Jacob Thompson (May 15, 1810 – March 24, 1885) was the United States Secretary of the Interior, who resigned on the outbreak of the American Civil War and became the Inspector General of the Confederate States Army.

In 1864, Jefferson Davis asked Thompson to lead a delegation to Canada, where he appears to have been leader of the Confederate Secret Service. From here, he is known to have organised many anti-Union plots and was suspected of many more, including a possible meeting with Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth.

Union troops burned down his mansion in Oxford, Mississippi, the hometown of William Faulkner, who based some of his fictional characters on Thompson.