Jacob Thompson

Jacob Thompson (1810–1885) served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and chaired the Committee on Indian Affairs. During his years as Interior secretary, the Department accrued additional responsibilities, including the Boundary Surveys of Texas and California; the Copyright Office; and jurisdiction over both the Potomac Water Works and what is now Gallaudet University. With the secession of his home state of Mississippi and the outbreak of the Civil War, Thompson resigned his post at Interior. He went on to become inspector general of the Confederate States Army and orchestrated several anti-Union plots. Thompson was even suspected—but never convicted—of a role in President Lincoln's assassination, forcing him into exile in Europe and Canada. He returned to Mississippi in 1868 and ultimately resided in Tennessee.