Annie Thompson 386289 196463114 2008-03-07T04:14:54Z WikHead 6338983 Split link, made two [[Image:Lady Annie Thompson.jpg|thumb|Lady Thompson, May 1896]] '''Annie Emma, Lady Thompson''' (née '''Affleck''') ([[June 26]], [[1845]] – [[April 10]], [[1913]]) was the wife of [[John Thompson (politician)|Sir John Thompson]], the fourth [[Prime Minister of Canada]]. She was born in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]] to James Affleck, a sea captain, and Catherine Saunders. She was the eldest of eight children. She has been described by historians as a high-spirited young woman who resembled Catherine Linton in [[Emily Brontë]]'s ''[[Wuthering Heights]]''. She married Thompson in [[1870]] in [[Portland, Maine]]. Their first child, a son, was [[stillbirth|stillborn]] on [[September 3]], [[1871]]. They had eight more children: #John Thomas Connolly Thompson (1872-1952) #Joseph Thompson (1874-1935) #Mary Aloysia (Babe) Thompson (1876-1917) #Mary Helena Thompson (1878-1944) #Annie Mary Thompson (1879-1880) #unknown name (died at birth, December 7, 1880) #Frances Alice (Frankie) Thompson (1881-1947) #David Anthony Thompson (1883-1885) In [[1882]], when John Thompson was concerned about losing an electoral battle in [[Antigonish, Nova Scotia|Antigonish]], Annie wrote him to say that "I wish I could be with you for one ten minutes to talk square to you...So keep up your courage... win or lose they can’t keep you from me much longer...So now you must not be such an awful baby until you get home and then I’ll see how far you can be indulged." John Thompson was appointed to the [[Supreme Court of Nova Scotia]] in [[1882]]. When he was offered the opportunity to become [[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice]] in [[1885]], Annie Thompson encouraged him to leave that bunch of "sere old crows" (her words) on the Nova Scotia bench and get out into a world which would better test and demonstrate his talents. The Thompson family finally moved to Ottawa in [[1888]], and John Thompson became [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] in [[1892]]. On [[December 12]], [[1894]], John Thompson died of a heart attack in Windsor Castle at the age of 49. He left a very small estate, and the Lady Thompson Fund was begun that month as a private subscription for the children. Lady Thompson moved to [[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]] in [[1895]]. Friends, including [[Ishbel Maria Gordon, Lady Aberdeen|Lady Aberdeen]] and [[Senate of Canada|Senator]] [[Frank Smith (senator)|Frank Smith]], aided her in finding housing and establishing herself. She lived at 18 1/2 St Joseph Street, and became a member of the nearby St Basil's Roman Catholic Church. In hospital in [[1913]] for exploratory surgery, she was diagnosed with inoperable [[cancer]] and died on the operating table. She was buried in [[Mount Hope Cemetery]] in [[Toronto, Ontario|Toronto]]. ==See also== [[Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada]]. ==External links== *[http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=41290 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''] {{start box}} {{succession box| before=[[Mary Bethune Abbott]]| title=[[Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada|Spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada]]| years=1892-1894| after=[[Frances Tupper|Frances Morse Tupper]] }} {{end box}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Annie}} [[Category:1845 births]] [[Category:1913 deaths]] [[Category:Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada]] [[Category:People from Halifax, Nova Scotia]] [[Category:Canadian Roman Catholics]] [[Category:Canadians of British descent]]