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Volume 3 



Issued Every Other Saturday for 63,000 thinking Farmers — December 19, 1925 



No. 25 



"OUR SAM" TAKESA.F.B.F. PRESIDENCY WITH HUMBLENESS 



■ 



5am Thompson ''Came 

 Up from the Ranks** 

 Through Farm Bureau 



Has Held Many Offices All the 

 Way From Solicitor of Mem- 

 berships to President of 

 Farmers' Greatest Body. 



Sam H. Thompson, newly-elected 

 president of the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation^ has "come up from the 

 ranks" in the farm bureau organiza- 

 tion. 



He has been a leader in his home 

 community in Gilmer township, Adams 

 county; president of the Adams County 

 Farm Bureau; executive committeeman 

 of the Illinois Ajn*>cultural Association; 

 chairman of its legislative and iinance 

 committees; president of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association; director of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation ; 

 member of its finance committee and is 

 now president of the national organiza- 

 tion. 



Lived on Farm 54 Years 

 He was born August 18, 1863, on a 

 40-acre farm in Gilmer township, near 

 Quincy. He was the youngest of five 

 children, three girls and two boys. He 

 grew to manhood on this farm and re- 

 ceived his education in the public 

 schools. He joined the Methodist Epis- 

 copal church when 12 years old and al- 

 ways has been active in church and 

 Sunday school work. 



At the age of 26 two important events 

 took place. He married Miss Lemmie 

 Dickhut and the same year he bought 

 an 80-acre farm at $75 an acre, going 

 in debt for the entire amount. On this 

 farm there were bom to the Thomp- 

 sons seven children, four boys and thre^ 

 girls. Five are now married and living 

 on farms in the neighborhood of their 

 father and grandfather. Two of the 

 children live at home, the youngest hav- 

 ing graduated last year at the Agricul- 

 tural College of the University of Illi- 

 nois. 



Has 500-Acre Farm 

 Mr. Thompson engaged in grain and 

 live stock farming. The 80-acre farm 

 was paid for and adjoining land was 

 acquired which enlarged the old home 

 place to BOO acres. Two of the sons 

 are now farming it under the eye of 

 Mr. Thompson. 

 - He was tax collector at 22 years of 

 age. Since then he has always.^ taken 

 an active part in the public affairs of 

 his neighborhood, township and county. 

 He was commissioner for nine years arid 

 supervisor for six years. In 1916 he 

 was elected to the 60tfa' General Asseiii- 

 biy of Illinois. 



It was back in 1915 that Mr. Thomp- 

 son got active in Farm Bureau wotfk. 

 He became a strong advocate for the 

 organization of farmers. He was pres- 

 ident of the Adams County Farm Bu- 

 reau and was a charter member in the 

 organization of the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association in 1917. Although he had 

 moved in to Quincy in 1918 and was 

 elected president of the Broadway Bank 

 of Quincy, which position he now holds, 

 he gave considerable time in helping the 

 Illinois Agricultural Association get on 

 its feet. Even though a bank president, 

 he spent weeks out in the country as a 

 soliciter. 



He became an executive committee- 

 man of the Illinois Agricultural Asso- 

 ciation representing the 22nd congres- 

 sional district, serving for three years. 

 He was also chairman of the finance and 

 legislative committees. Mr. Thompson 

 also helped organize the American Farm 

 Bureau Federation and has been, for 

 two years, a member of its executive 

 committee. 



Mr. Thompson has had 54 years of 

 actual farming experience. He has busi- 

 ness experience as president of the 

 Broadway Bank of Quincy. The deposits 

 of that bank have doubled since he be- 

 came president and in the financial de- 

 pression which has hit farming commun- 

 ities so hard, the bank of which Mr. 

 Thompson is president suffered no loss 

 of any kind. In public affairs, Mr. 

 Thompson has had wide experience, first, 

 in his township and county affairs; 

 second, as a public legislator in the 

 General Assembly and third, through of- 

 ficial position of the .Illinois Agricultural 

 Association and the American Farm Bu- 

 reau Federation, where he has had di- 

 rect experience in state and national 

 agricultural problems. 



President Thompson Pinning 



Medals on Illinois Club Winners 



The University of Illinois, through De«n H. W. Mnmford and E. I. Pil- 

 chard, ftate leader of boys* and girls' work, and the Illinois Agricultural 

 Association gave medals to winners in club competitions when the Illinois 

 boys and girls who were attending the International L|ve Stock Exposi- 

 tion were breakfasted by I. A.. A. officials, executive committee and di- 

 rectf>rs. Left to right: Sam H. Tliompson; Adeline Spragg, Sangamon 

 county, Donald Cameron, Peoria county; Dean H. W. Mumford and For- 

 rest Weseman, Kane county. 



Chef Got 'Ze Great Kick * in Cooking 



Co-op Luncheon for Calvin Coolidge 



'PHOMAS MAGLIANO, a former sub- 

 "*• ject of the Prince of Monoco and 

 who learned his cooking in Monte Carlo, 

 his native land, was the chef who super- 

 vised the cooking of the co-operative 

 luncheon served to President Coolidge 

 and guests during the American Farm 

 Bureau convention at Chicago last 

 week. Three assistant chefs helped him. 



Chef Magliano took great pride in 

 cooking for the president. On ■^wo 

 previous occasions he has prepared tdBd 

 for presidents, in both instances for the 

 late Theodore Roosevelt, once in Colo- 

 rado in 1901, and the other time in 

 .Arizona in 1911. 



"I got ze big kick out of getting this 

 great meal for re President," said 

 Senor Magliano, who is chef, de caisine 

 at the Sherman Hotel, where the con- 

 vention and luncheon was held. "And 

 deed you hear what the President he 

 say? He say hemself it was a great 

 luncheon. It should be — you know thiff* 

 quality of food was tres bon — ex eel - 

 lente — it came from farmers themselves. 



"We cooked all of it in a special 

 kitchen ap^rt from all food for ze regu- 

 lar customers of the hotel. We had 

 nothing but new utensils. And ze secret 

 service men! Aha. They stand around 

 looking to see that no poison get in. 

 They found none, I assure you. And 

 Dr. Bundesen of the Chicago health 

 department he send inspectors! They 

 asked about the milk — it was good milk 

 — I found it came from Quincy and the 

 farmers* cows are all tested for ze 

 tuberculosis. They say 'fine.' " 



Senor Magliano has been in the 



Telegrams and Letters 

 Pile on Thoxnpson's Desk 

 Saying ''We* re With You'* 



"We're with you, Sam!" 



That's the sentiment expressed in a 

 big pile of telegrams and letters which 

 tumbled onto President Thampson's desk 

 after his election to the national pres- 

 idency. One telegram was a resolution 

 of congratulation from the Illinois State 

 Grange which was in session at the 

 time in Champaign-Urbana. It pledged 

 full co-operation, as did the scores of 

 other letters and telegrams which came 

 from all over the country. 



United States 25 years and ha« become 

 a naturalized citizen. 



The Illinois Fruit Growers Exchange 

 furnished apples for the co-op luncheon, 

 but the Stephenson County Co-operative 

 Cream Producers' Association is exper- 

 iencing such a demand for its "Vita- 

 Gold" butter that no cream could be 

 spared. 



Besides the luncheon to President 

 Coolidge, a co-op luncheon was also 

 served the next day. 



I. A. A. Leader Elected President of 



American Farm Bureau Federation for 

 2- Year Term Which Began Immediately 



Hopes He Can Serve Humbly Enougrh So He Will Always Be 

 CloM to "the Folks Back On the Farm^'; E. A. O'Neal 

 of Alabama Re-elected Vice-President; Thompson Gives 

 His Future Policy in Statement in This RECORD. 



I 



Frank D. Barton 

 ■ Uinoia Dela(ata 



After His Election 

 Sam Was Sad Because 

 He'd Be At Home Less 



Upon learning' of his townsman's 

 election as president of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation, the editor 

 of the Quincy Herald wired Pres- 

 ident Thompson for a "word to the 

 folks back home." He replied as foK 

 lows: 

 **To my friends at home: 



"After bein? elected president of 

 the American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion, the distressing thought came to 

 me as I sat at supper with a frroup 

 of confcratulatini; friends that my 

 new duties would pull me more and 

 more away from Quincy and the 

 Adams county folks with whom I 

 have lived all ^ the years of my life. 

 The thoufrht m'ade me sad. 



"Bat with this sadness I also feel 

 that I must assume this new respons- 

 ibiltty as a sacred duty to American 

 agriculture and that I can be of 

 wider service to the farmers. In the 

 future I hope to continue the princ- 

 iples which have made the Illinois 

 Agrricultural Association such a 

 strong and useful organitation. 



"My prayerful hope is that I will 

 be able to serve humbly enough to be 

 always close to the folks on the farm 

 and home. Sincerely, 



Sam. H. Thompson." 



Senor Thomjis Magliano, the chef 

 who cooked the co'O0erative lunch- 

 eon for President Coolidge. 



HOPE and trust I can serve humbly enoug-h so I always 

 will be close to the folks back home on the iarms." fervent- 

 ly declared "Our Sam" Thompson in his first 

 speech as president of the American Farm Bu- 

 reau Federation before the delegates at thd 

 national organization's seventh annual meeting 

 in Chicago last week after he had been elected, 

 in a warm contest, to become "Our Sam*;, to the 

 farm bureau farmers of the nation. 



"And I want to promise you who represent 

 the states which make up this great federation," 

 he said, "that from now on my viewpoint is 

 primarily a national one. As a director of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation 1 have hati a splendid op- 

 pwrtunity to see agricultural problems in a national way, and 

 it is my duty, in co-operation with the new bo^rd of directors, 



to act in the best intere.sts of all the 

 farmers in Amerfca." 



Three can<)idat)es were pushed by 

 their respective backers m what de- 

 veloped into a <hree-comered con- 

 test. They were:: 0. E. Bradfujte of 

 Xenia, Ohio, whohac }v*fn T^r«>ci'l*»nt 

 for three years; Hi. A. O'NealVf Bir- 

 mingham, .Alabama, vice-president 

 during 192.5 anci jiresident of the 

 Alabama Farm Bureau Federation 

 and Sam H. Th<>m|>son of Quincy, 

 who has been president of the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural ^s.sociation during 

 ^ 1923-24-25 and a 



^F\ director of the 



^^ha American Farm 



^^Hl Bureau Feder<ition 



^^Br for the same pe- 



^NB riod. Eight secret 



^^^■^a^^^ pilots were cast, 

 ^^^^/^^^^^ V'^ ninth being a 

 ^^^^^^^^^^^ tote by acclama- 

 ^^^^^^^^^^ lion, upon motion 

 ^^^^^^^■ty President Palm- 

 ^^^^^^^^■4r the 



^^^^^^^^^^ Farm Bureau Fed- 

 ..S"* *-■ Smith ^ration, w h i ch 

 """•'• D*'***" _ *i a de' unanimous 

 the majority gai'ntd by Mr. Thomp- 

 son on the eighth kallot. The eighth 

 ballot stood: Mr. thomp.son. 24; Mr. 

 Bradfute 19 and Mr. O'NeaJ 1. Then 

 the vote wa.s mad^ tinanimou.-. 



Bradfate Pledge ^o-operation 



E. A. O'Neal was then elected 

 vice-president to succeed himself. 

 President BradfuteL in addressing the 

 delegates later, w»rmly bespoke the 

 co-operation of alllstates for the new 

 president and piMged himself to 

 serre the Farm Bdreau in any man- 

 ner in which he cguld be of servie' 



President 

 Thomp.son a s— 

 sumed the duties 

 of his new office 

 immediately. The 

 next day, Thurs- 

 day, the newly 

 elected board of 

 directors met in 

 the American 

 Farm Bureau of- 

 fices, where 

 Frank Evans, 

 general market- 

 ing counsel and { 

 acting secretarj' 

 for the past year, 

 was re-elect^, as 

 was A. R. Simp- 

 son, treasurer, ithe next 

 was set for Feb. 9v 



Representatives of the Mid-West 

 states elected to s^rve on the board 

 (Continued en ^ag* 4 Col 6) 



Another County Group 

 of Mutuals Okehs the 

 New Reinsurance Body 



"We hereby endorse the plan of the 

 Farmers* Mutual Reinsurance Company 

 for direct insurance, specific reinsur- 

 rce. blanket reinsurance and also re- 

 <^sion reinsurance and authorize the 

 :.a Salle County Reinsurance committee 

 > put on record our endorsement of 

 .L:d Farmers' Mutual Reinsurance Com- 

 pany." 



Thus comes indorsement from another 

 county group of farm mutuals for the 

 new reinsurance company. La Salle 

 county has more fire and lightning com- 

 panies than any other county in the 

 state — 13. Representatives of these have 

 met several times during the last two 

 years studying reinsurance. 



"Therefore," says Vernon Vaniman, 

 field representative, "they are plad that 

 a company has been organised that will 

 cover the entire state, thereby putting 

 their companies in a position whereby 

 they can take care of all the insurance 

 needs of their farmers against fire and 

 lightning." 



Many other mutuals in Illinois have 

 endorsed the new company. Madison 

 connty recently gave it a strong in- 

 dbraement. 



J. U 



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