Jacob Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Thompson between 1855 and 1865, by Mathew 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 | May 15, 1810 Leasburg, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | March 24, 1885 (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 | .png){kind=small} |
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.