OF THE SADDLE AND SIRLOIN CLUB 71 
A WIZARD OF WOOL 
22. Possibly as wide an acquaintance as was ever enjoyed 
among the sheepmen of America was held by Roserr B. 
THomson. Mr. THOMSON was a man untrained in husbandry 
and previous to 1905 was unheard of in the wool trade. Never- 
theless, in the last years of his life he became one of the most 
widely quoted authorities on wool market conditions and his 
amiable spirit won him hundreds of friends, both in the east 
and west. Mr. THomson was charged with the organization of 
the National Wool Warehouse and Storage Co., and in spite of 
intrigue, conspiracy and other troubles carried it to a successful 
realization. When the undertaking was first launched, many 
severe and unjust criticisms were made by the short-sighted and 
partisan men who had been attempting to back the wool industry 
previously, but nothing of criticism was directed toward the per- 
sonality that effected the organization. 
Rosert Boyp THomson was born in Chicago, April 21, 1869, 
of Scottish descent. At the close of his school training he 
entered the employ of the Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., 
remaining with them until his death. In 1889 he took up his 
residence in Morgan Park, and was actively identified with its 
development. He was one of the founders of the Morgan Park 
Presbyterian Church and became an elder in it at the age of 21. 
For many years he was a trustee of the Village Board and acted 
as trustee of the Morgan Park Academy during the troublous 
period of its financing. Mr. THomson was a stockyards man 
to the core, and was intimately concerned in its growth and 
development. During his later years he acted as treasurer of 
the Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., and of the Chicago Junction 
Railway Co. He was one of the organizers and first president 
of the Calumet Trust & Savings Bank in 1904, but resigned later 
when the burdens of the Wool Warehouse began to absorb his 
time. 
