Dr. Cyrus Thompson, M.D., was a member of the ECTC board of trustees from 1923-1929, but apparently not an active one: as past ECU historian Mary Jo Bratton (1926-1998) notes, Thompson is not mentioned in the board minutes during the years of his service as a trustee.
Thompson hailed from Gregory Forks near Richlands in the rural hinterlands of Onslow County. His parents, relatively well-to-do farmers, sent him to a private preparatory school in Raleigh for his early education and then to Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, for his undergraduate degree. After graduating in 1876, Thompson pursued a medical education at the University of Virginia and then at the University of Louisiana (now the School of Medicine of Tulane University). He received his medical degree at the latter in 1878, and then returned to Onslow County to practice medicine and help in managing the family farms.
During the years that followed, Thompson came to identify himself increasingly with the interests, concerns, and politics of the white agrarian population of eastern North Carolina. Although early on a Democrat, he left the ranks of the Democratic Party in 1892, joining forces with the Populists to work for the interests of farmers. In 1896, he was elected secretary of state as part of the Fusion ticket and remained in that office until 1901.
During the 1898 and 1900 elections, Thompson, an eloquent speaker, campaigned against Democratic candidates across the board, attacking their economic policies as well as their efforts to disenfranchise African Americans. However, Thompson’s opposition to the latter was apparently based on his claim that the Democrats were not going far enough in eliminating blacks from politics. Taking things further, he reportedly advocated disenfranchising African Americans “for at least one generation … and further prohibiting any negro from holding office, even if the race were allowed to vote.”
Thompson later gravitated toward the Republican Party and remained active in political campaigns across the state even while focusing increasingly on his work as a physician. In addition to serving as the superintendent of health for Onslow County and as the county’s medical examiner during World War I, Thompson was a member and president of the Medical Society of North Carolina, the North Carolina State Board of Health, the Tri-State Medical Association, and the Seaboard Medical Society. Prior to his appointment as a trustee of East Carolina Teachers College, Thompson also served as a trustee of the University of North Carolina, from 1897 to 1901.
Sources
- “A Negro’s Sentiments.” Wilmington Morning Star. July 28, 1900. P. 2.
- Bratton, Mary Jo. East Carolina University: The Formative Years, 1907-1982. Greenville, N.C.: East Carolina University Alumni Association, 1986.
- “Cy Thompson Taken Down: Obeys Orders From Marion Butler, the Boss.” Semi-Weekly Citizen (Asheville). July 31, 1900. P. 1.
- Cyrus Thompson Papers, 1830-1931. Southern Historical Collection # 00715. Wilson Library. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- “Dr. Cyrus Thompson Opposes His Former Friend, M. Butler.” Twin-City Daily Sentinel. May 16, 1912. P. 4.
- “Dr. Cyrus Thompson To Be Buried Today.” News and Observer. Nov. 22, 1930. P. 12.
- “Eliminate Negro Votes: What Dr. Cyrus Thompson Said About the Amendment.” Statesville Record and Landmark. March 9, 1900. P. 6.
- “Fusion Ticket Now Announced: Thompson Withdraws Leaving Adams for Governor.” Raleigh Times. July 27, 1900. P. 1.
- Littleton, Tucker Reed. “Thompson, Cyrus.” NCPedia. From the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, vol. 6. edited by William S. Powell. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979-1996.
- “Medical Leader Taken by Death: Dr. Cyrus Thompson of Jacksonville Succumbs.” Charlotte Observer. Nov. 21, 1930. P. 10.
- Tecoan. 1924. P. 9. University Archives # UA50.01.01.02. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, North Carolina. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15329
- Tecoan. 1925. P. 9. University Archives # UA50.01.01.03. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, North Carolina. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15330
- “The 1898 Election in North Carolina: Cyrus Thompson.” UNC Libraries. https://exhibits.lib.unc.edu/exhibits/show/1898/bios/thompson
- “The Pops Name Full Ticket: It is Headed by Cy Thompson, the Present Secretary of State.” The Farmer and the Mechanic. April 24, 1900. P. 2.
- Thompson, Cyrus. “Dr. Thompson’s Great Speech: A Large and Representative Gathering of Populists of Sampson and Adjoining Counties at Clinton, N.C., Aug. 19, 1898, to Hear the Opening of the Populist Campaign.” North Carolina Digital Collections. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p249901coll37/id/17269
- Thompson, Cyrus. “President’s Address: The Art of Living.” Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of North Carolina. Pp. 17-25. Raleigh: Edwards and Broughton Printing Co., 1919. https://archive.org/details/transactionsofme66medi/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Related Materials
Cyrus Thompson. Image Source: "Senate of North Carolina. 1885. Photo by Watson." Detail. Series FP3, Photographic Archives, North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://exhibits.lib.unc.edu/exhibits/show/1898/bios/thompson
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 12/14/2022