Annie Thompson

Who was Annie Thompson?

Annie Emma, Lady Thompson was the wife of Sir John Thompson, the fourth Prime Minister of Canada.

She was born in 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 stillborn on September 3, 1871. They had eight more children:

John Thomas Connolly Thompson

Joseph Thompson

Mary Aloysia Thompson

Mary Helena Thompson

Annie Mary Thompson

unknown name

Frances Alice Thompson

David Anthony Thompson

In 1882, when John Thompson was concerned about losing an electoral battle in 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."