John Thompson was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 banker, financial publisher, and dealer in bank notes. The son of a Revolutionary War soldier, he was born near Pittsfield, Mass. He worked as a teacher and lottery-ticket dealer before moving to New York 1832 to become a dealer in bank notes. He founded "Thompson's Bank Note Reporter," the predecessor to the American Banker

American Banker

American Banker is a daily trade newspaper covering the financial services industry. Founded in 1836and based in New York, American Banker has approximately 50 reporters and editors in six U.S. cities who monitor developments and breaking news affecting banks...

 newspaper, in 1836. The publication was devoted to "sorting out the good banks and their notes from bad banks and their notes." Together with his sons, Samuel C. Thompson and Frederick Ferris Thompson

Frederick Ferris Thompson

Frederick Ferris Thompson was a prominent American banker.-Biography:Born in New York City on June 14, 1836 to John and Electa Thompson, Frederick grew up in a life of luxury. He attended Williams College from 1852 to 1854, and was a member of St. Anthony Hall, but left to go abroad at his...

, he founded First National Bank of the City of New York in 1863; it opened its doors on July 22 of that year. He also founded Chase National Bank in 1877, a predecessor of the Chase Manhattan Bank

Chase Manhattan Bank

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...

.