Thompson was the seventh head football coach at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and he held that position for two seasons, from 1898 until 1899. His record at Lehigh was 5–15–1. Highlights of his two seasons included back-to-back victories over rival Rutgers.[7]
Political and legal career
Following his coaching years, Thompson attended New York Law School, and from 1903 to 1906 lectured at the University of Denver College of Law.[6] After managing the western campaign for the presidency for Woodrow Wilson, Thompson moved to Washington, D.C., in 1913 and served as an assistant attorney general in Wilson's administration.[4] Thompson was appointed to the Federal Trade Commission by Wilson, and reappointed by Warren G. Harding. He remained in that office during the presidencies of Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, during which he served for several stints as FTC Chair.[6]
In 1923, following the death of Colorado Senator Samuel D. Nicholson, former president Wilson lobbied governor William Ellery Sweet to appoint Thompson to the seat,[8] "only to meet with a cold turndown".[9] In 1927, food safety advocate Harvey Washington Wiley advocated for Thompson to run for President of the United States, describing Thompson as "devoted solely to the public welfare" and asserting that he "would not use his power as president in any way to protect any vested interest against what was best for the public at large".[9] Thompson later served as a special counsel to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[4]