Lewis Ryers Thompson

Thompson was born on 6 August 1883 in Lafayette, Indiana. He completed his MD degree at Louisville Medical College (later absorbed into the University of Louisville), after which he took a position with the Philippine Constabulary.[1]

Thompson began his career with the United States Public Health Service in 1910, with an appointment as an assistant surgeon.[1] He rose through the ranks of the agency, and by 1930 was the chief of the Division of Scientific Research. In this position, he performed field investigations on a range of public health issues, from childhood nutrition and dental issues to industrial hygiene and stream pollution.[2] He was also appointed Assistant Surgeon General in 1930, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1946.[1]

Apart from his medical and administrative skills, Thompson demonstrated shrewd political talents. He had arranged to slip the future Surgeon General Thomas Parran Jr. onto the 1932 subcommittee of the Science Advisory Committee, against the wishes of the National Academy of Sciences (Parran was not a member). He also used his many connections to learn of a large tract of land which had been offered as a gift to the government, which no agency had accepted; this land would become the new home of the NIH.[3]

After his retirement, Thompson took a position as a scientific director for the Rockefeller Foundation's international health division. He died on 12 November 1954 at the Baltimore Public Health Service Hospital and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[1]