thumb|upright|Robert Means Thompson, 1912

Robert Means Thompson (2 March 1849 – 5 September 1930) was a United States Navy officer, business magnate, philanthropist and a president of the American Olympic Association. He is the namesake of the destroyer USS Thompson (DD-627).

Biography

He was born in Corsica, Pennsylvania, of Protestant Scotch and Irish descent to Judge of the Jefferson County PA court John Jamison Thompson Commissioned ensign on 19 April 1869, and promoted to master on 12 July 1870, he resigned from the Navy on 18 November 1871, to study law in his brother's office.

Lawyer

After he was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1872, he was still not satisfied with his legal training so he studied law at Harvard, graduating in 1874. Thompson subsequently practiced law in Boston and was a member of the Boston Common Council from 1876 to 1878.

Metallurgist

Thompson later became interested in mining and smelting enterprises, by which he earned his fortune. and it was at his refinery in Constable Hook In March 1878 Eustis, Thompson, Robert Gilmour Leckie, Charles Carroll Colby and Walter W. Beckett established the Orford Nickel and Copper Company in Quebec.

In 1902 Orford Copper merged with the Canadian Copper Company and American Nickel Works, into the International Nickel Company of Canada, of which he served as chairman for at least a decade.

Residence

In 1907 he lived in a stone mansion at 1607 23rd Street NW in Washington, D.C. which was recently built by New York attorney Frank Ellis. The mansion is in the Beaux-arts style and was designed by the firm of Carrère and Hastings which designed many significant buildings of the era. Ellis sold the mansion to Roumania in 1921 and it has been used as its embassy ever since.

Philanthropy

He was an organizer of the Navy Athletic Association and the donor of the Thompson Cup, which is awarded to the member of the Navy Midshipmen who contributes most to the advancement of athletics at the Naval Academy. His interest in sport then extended to the Olympic Games, and was twice president of the American Olympic Association, once for the 1912 Summer Olympics, In 1912, he was also elected president of the New York Athletic Club. He maintained a summer residence at Southampton, Long Island and in winter he could be found in Washington DC.