His father, a pharmacist, influenced Edward toward the study of medicine, which he pursued at the University of Pennsylvania.

The following July, Thomson was recommended for admission to the Ohio Annual Conference, and he was received "on trial" that September.

In 1837 Thomson became the principal of the Norwalk Seminary, where his success was so great that in 1843 he was offered the chancellorship of the University of Michigan and the presidency of Transylvania College.

He likewise attained high rank as a lecturer and an editor, writing much for periodicals and papers.

He was a profound student, though absent-minded, preferring the seclusion of a college to the episcopal "office."