Biography of Charles Thomson

Charles Thomson, born on October 12, 1855, in Monroe County, Wisconsin, was a prominent businessman and city treasurer of Miller, Hand County, South Dakota. He moved to Hand County in 1883, claimed a homestead, and worked as a farmer and teacher. Thomson held various public offices, including county commissioner, county auditor, and presidential elector in 1900. A dedicated Republican, he was active in the party’s central committee. In 1895, he married Minnie Duthie, and in 1904 they had one child, Merle C., born in 1899. Thomson was involved in the grain and coal business.


Charles Thomson is one of the leading business men and sterling citizens of Miller, Hand county, is a prominent factor in public affairs and is at the present time incumbent of the office of city treasurer.

Mr. Thomson is a native of the Badger state, having been born on the parental farmstead in Monroe county, Wisconsin, on the 12th of October, 1855, and being a son of James and Olive Thomson, both of whom are still living, maintaining their home in the village of Hurley, South Dakota. The father of the subject devoted the major portion of his active life to agricultural pursuits and is now living retired, having attained the venerable age of seventy-five years and commanding the respect of all who know him. The subject of this review received his early education in the public schools of his native county, while later he attended school for one year in Iowa, and during one year was a student in the normal school at Valparaiso, Indiana. After leaving school he was successfully engaged in teaching in the public schools of Buena Vista county, Iowa, for a period of seven years. In 1883 he came to what is now the state of South Dakota and took up his residence in Hand county. He took up a homestead claim of government land, and eventually perfected his title to the property. He thereafter devoted his attention to farming and teaching school until 1893, usually teaching during the winter terms, when his attention was not demanded in connection with the work of his farm. In 1886 Mr. Thomson was elected a member of the board of county commissioners, in which capacity he served one term. In 1892 he was elected county auditor, in which office he served most acceptably for four years, having been chosen as his own successor in 1894. He was honored by being chosen one of the presidential electors of the state, on the Republican ticket, in 1900, at the time of President McKinley’s second election, and he received the still further distinction of being selected to take the ballots to Washington, D.C., where he thus represented his state in the electoral college. Mr. Thomson has been a member of the Republican central committee of Hand county for many years, most of the time serving either as chairman or secretary, and has done most effective service in marshalling the forces at his command and furthering the interests of the party in his section. He has served as city treasurer of Miller since 1893, and is one of the honored and popular citizens of the county. He is at the present time engaged in the grain and coal business, as representative of Van Dusen & Company, of Minneapolis.

On the 22d of October, 1895, Mr. Thomson was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Duthie, of Miller, South Dakota. She was born and reared in Rock county, Wisconsin, and came to Hand county, South Dakota, with her parents, in 1883, and until her marriage to Mr. Thomson taught school and served as deputy auditor of Hand county. Her father, John Duthie, was one of the pioneers of the county and from 1884 to 1887 was a member of the county board.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomson have one child, Merle C., born December 3, 1899.


Source: Robinson, Doane, History of South Dakota: together with mention of Citizens of South Dakota, [Logansport? IN] : B. F. Bowen, 1904.


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