Gale Thomson
Gale Thomson | |
---|---|
First Lady of New Hampshire | |
In role January 4, 1973 – January 4, 1979 | |
Governor | Meldrim Thomson Jr. |
Preceded by | Dorothy Peterson |
Succeeded by | Irene Gallen |
Personal details | |
Born | Meldrim Thomson, Jr. | May 17, 1919
Anne Gale Kelly Thomson (17 May 1919 – March 8, 2010)
Early and personal life
Thomson was born Anne Gale Kelly[3] in Brooklyn, New York, in 1919.[2] She was the oldest child of parents William and Anne Kelly.[3] She graduated from high school two years early and took a position with the Edward Thompson Law Book Company, a law publishing company in Brooklyn.[3]
Kelly met her future husband,
In 1954, Thomson and her husband decided not to raise their family in New York City.[2] They moved with their six children to the Mt. Cube Farm, a 19th-century farmhouse in Orford, New Hampshire, in the fall of 1954,[3] where Thomson and her husband lived for the rest of her life.[2][4][5] As Mel Thomson's book editing company, Equity Publishing, grew, Gale Thomson largely ran the day-to-day operations of the farm and family.[6]
Political and business career
Thomson became the
Thomson remained First Lady until they moved out of
Gale Thomson remained a vocal supporter of Mel Thomson's policies, especially after his death in 2001.[6] She was strong proponent of the former governor's tax policies, including "The Pledge," in which he had promised to veto any state income tax or sales tax.[6] Thomson also defended her late husband against charges of racism, including in a 2001 profile published in The "New Hampshire Century: "Concord Monitor" Profiles of One Hundred People Who Shaped It."[7] The former Governor had visited South Africa under apartheid rule, after leaving office and had come under fire for referring to the late Martin Luther King Jr. as a person "of immoral character" and a "leading agent of Communism."[7] Gale Thomson dismissed the accusations of racism against her husband, noting that he had appointed Ivorey Cobb, the first African American judge in New Hampshire state history.[7]
The former First Lady published op-eds and other opinion pieces in the New Hampshire Union Leader.[6]
In 2000, Thomson, a prominent state political figure and activist, expressed concern that New Hampshire residents were beginning to ignore their responsibilities as the
In 2005, Gale Thomson, her son, Tom Thomson, and other homeowners drew international attention when their homes were levied with a so-called local "view tax" in
Thomson ran a maple syrup business based out of her Mt. Cube Farm in Orford.[5]
Public and private sector philanthropy
She served as a trustee of the Youth Development Center, the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, and the Vermont-New Hampshire Visiting Nurse Alliance.[3][6] She was also an appointed member of the Governor's Lilac and Wildflower Commission, which was established by Governor John H. Sununu in 1984.[3][5]
2008 presidential campaign
In December 2007, Thomson endorsed former
Death and honors
Gale Thomson died of
References
- ^ "Obituary for Anne Gale Kelly Thomson at Ricker Funeral Home".
- ^ Boston Globe. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
- ^ Nashua Telegraph. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
- ^ a b c Distaso, John (2010-03-09). "Gale Thomson's sons, state officials pay tribute to her grace and service". New Hampshire Union Leader. Archived from the original on 2016-01-30. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
- ^ Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Looking back at Gale Thomson". Journal Opinion (STPNS). 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ )
- ^ a b Halloran, Liz (2000-01-31). "In Villages, Vote Doesn't Hit Home". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ a b c d Sherwell, Philip (2005-11-13). "Veteran anti-tax campaigners rally to fight the 'view levy' in New Hampshire". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2008 (University of California, Santa Barbara). 2007-12-28. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ Thomson, Gale (2010-03-21). "Gale Thomson: On taxes, Mitt Romney really gets it". New Hampshire Union Leader. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ "Former Gov. Mitt Romney: New Hampshire Visits through January 8, 2008". George Washington University. 2008-01-08. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
- ^ DiStaso, John (2015-01-31). "Granite Reports: As frontrunner, Romney would have been daily target of GOP competitors". NH Journal. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- Boston Globe. Associated Press. 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-03-21.