John McCandless THOMPSON, Congress, PA (1829-1903)

THOMPSON John McCandless , a Representative from Pennsylvania; born near Butler, Butler County, Pa., January 4, 1829; attended the common schools and Witherspoon Institute; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1854 and began practice in Butler, Pa.; member of the State house of representatives in 1859 and 1860, and served one year as speaker; entered the Union Army during the Civil War and served as major and subsequently as lieutenant colonel of the One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1868; elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of United States Representative Ebenezer McJunkin and served from January 5, 1875, to March 3, 1875; was successfully re-elected to the Forty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1877-March 3, 1879); was not a candidate for renomination in 1878; resumed the practice of his profession; died in Butler, Pa., September 3, 1903; interment in Butler Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present