View source for Earl Foster Thomson

{{Short description|American equestrian (1900–1971)}}
{{Similar names||Earl Thompson (disambiguation){{!}}Earl Thompson}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{MedalTableTop
|image         = Earl Foster Thomson (1900–1971) at West Point in 1922.png
|image_size    = 200px
|caption       = At West Point in 1922
}}
{{MedalSport|[[Equestrianism|Equestrian]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Equestrian at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1932 Summer Olympics|1932 Los Angeles]] | [[Equestrian at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Team eventing]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 London]] | [[Equestrian at the 1948 Summer Olympics|Team eventing]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1932 Los Angeles | Individual eventing}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Berlin]] | [[Equestrian at the 1936 Summer Olympics|Individual eventing]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1948 London | Team dressage}}
{{MedalBottom}}

'''Lieutenant Earl''' "'''Tommy'''" '''Thomson''' (August 14, 1900 – July 1971) was an Olympic equestrian who won 5 medals during his international career. He was born in [[Cleveland]].

==Biography==
Graduating from [[West Point]] in 1922, Thomson earned the [[Silver Star]] in [[World War II]] while he was serving as [[chief of staff]] to the [[10th Mountain Division]] in [[Italy]].

Trained under [[Harry Chamberlin]], Thomson had an extremely successful equestrian Olympic career. He finished individually second, and won team gold, at his first [[Equestrian at the 1932 Summer Olympics|Olympic competition in 1932]].

At the [[Equestrian at the 1936 Summer Olympics|1936 Olympics]], he won the team gold and individual silver in eventing on the legendary mare [[Jenny Camp]], being one of the few riders, and the only American, to successfully negotiate the 4th obstacle on cross-country, a water jump. This obstacle included a 3' jump into the water and, for most of the competitors, they found that the footing on the bottom was slippery and it was much deeper than it looked. This obstacle created considerable controversy as the entire German team made it through, suggesting that the home team could have had prior knowledge regarding the footing.

In [[Equestrian at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948]], Thomson competed in the dressage competition with Pancraft to win the team silver (after the gold medal-winning Swedish team was disqualified due to one of its members being an enlisted man rather than an officer). This is, to-date, the highest team medal the US has won in dressage competition. That same year, he finished with the team gold medal on Reno Rhythm

He also served as the chef d'equipe for the eventing team at the [[Equestrian at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960 Olympics]] in Rome, and was a judge at the [[Equestrian at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952 Olympic Games]].

Thomson died in July 1971 at the age of 70.

==References==
* Bryant, Jennifer O. ''Olympic Equestrian, A Century of International Horse Sport''. Lexington, KY: Blood-Horse Publications, 2008
{{Footer Olympic Champions Team Eventing}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Earl Foster}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1971 deaths]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Cleveland]]
[[Category:Equestrians at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Equestrians at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Equestrians at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:American male equestrians]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in equestrian]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in equestrian]]
[[Category:American event riders]]
[[Category:American dressage riders]]
[[Category:United States Army officers]]
[[Category:United States Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Military Academy alumni]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Silver Star]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]