Worl Worden Thompson (1897-1961)

From the Caldwell Journal, June 25, 1953.

   December begins a month-long stay in Ohio to profile a number of unusually named Buckeye State politicians. The first of these individuals to be profiled is Worl Worden Thompson, an auto dealer and popular business figure in Noble County for forty years. The founder of one of the oldest automotive dealerships in Noble County, Thompson attained additional prominence through public service, being a two-term state representative and one-term mayor of Caldwell. A native of West Virginia, Worl Worden Thompson was born in the village of Silver Hill on August 18, 1897.

  Following his birth, Thompson and his family removed to Pleasant Valley in Marion County, where he attended "small country schools." Early in his life, Thompson entered into automotive sales in Moundsville, West Virginia, and continued in business in Woodsfield, where he was employed at a Maxwell dealership. Worl Thompson married Madge O. Laudin (1898-1954) in the 1910s and had three daughters, Etta V. (1918-2000), June (1920-1952), and Mary (1921-1998).

  In 1921 Thompson and his family removed to Noble County, Ohio.  Settling in Caldwell, he established a Dodge dealership and several years later expanded his business with his purchase of the John Beckett building, a former livery stable and skating rink. By the mid-1920s, Thompson's dealership had added Studebaker products to its inventory, and in 1929 he was elected as president of the Caldwell Businessmen's Club for a one year term. 

  With his name firmly established in the Noble County business sector by 1930, Worl Thompson entered local politics with his election to the Caldwell city council. In January 1930 he was named to the council committee on streets, and continued to serve as a councilman into May 1933, when he was named as mayor of Caldwell. This appointment was occasioned by the illness and resignation of Mayor George Stanley "G.S." Ullman, and Thompson served as acting mayor "until after the fall election."

From the Newark Advocate, May 27, 1933.

   Following his brief tenure as mayor Thompson set his sights on higher office, and in 1938 announced his candidacy for the Ohio House of Representatives. In the August Republican primary Thompson emerged victorious, besting three term incumbent Samuel M. Frakes by a vote of 1,088 to 895. He would win the general election in November and took his seat at the start of the 1939-41 session. He won a second term in 1940, and during the 1941-43 term backed the creation of an Ohio Air Forest Patrol that would combat forest fires that had occurred in 18 eastern Ohio counties. In 1942 Thompson emerged as a candidate for member of the Ohio Republican State Central Committee, but withdrew his candidacy that June. 

  During World War II Thompson aided in the ongoing war effort by closing his garage and entering into defense department work. In 1942 he closed his garage and traveled to Dayton to begin work with the Pratt-Whitney engine department at the Patterson Dayton Airfield (now called Wright Patterson Air Force Base). He would later return to his automive business in Caldwell, and from 1945-46 served as president of the Noble County Chamber of Commerce.

  An active club man in his region, Thompson was a member of the Noble Lodge No. 459 of Free and Accepted Masons, the Olive Grange,  and the Noble County Fish and Game Association. He and his family were members of the Caldwell First Methodist Church, and in November 1951 he was honored with a belated 25-year plaque at the regional meeting of Dodge and Plymouth Dealers held in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

From the Caldwell Journal, November 29, 1961.

  In 1952 Worl Thompson was beset by tragedy, suffering the deaths of his wife Madge and daughter June. He continued with his business interests in Caldwell through the 1950s, and in 1959 again served on the Caldwell city council. Thompson's final months were marred by impaired health, and on March 19, 1961, died at his home in Caldwell, aged 63. He was survived by his daughters Etta and Mary and was interred in the Thompson family plot at the Olive Cemetery in Caldwell.

From the Caldwell Journal, March 20, 1961.