Frederick Ferris Thompson (June 14, 1836 – April 10, 1899) was a prominent American banker and railroad president who co-founded the First National Bank and what is now Citibank.

[2][7] He wrote, "I was only a quondam member of ’56, of two years’ presence in college, and a thorn in the side of the faculty of that day.

[15] First National went to court for a resolution as the check were processed the day the Marine Bank closed.

[2][9][10] On September 3, 1885, he was one of three incorporators of The Graphic Mining & Smelting Company in Chicago Illinois with $300,000 capital stock.

[11] In August 1888, when the New York Elevated Railroad merged with the Manhattan Railway Company, Thompson was elected president of the new corporation.

[23] Thompson and his wife donated large sums of money to numerous organizations, including the American Geographical Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Union League, and the Williams College Alumni Association.

[2][24] He was key to the construction of the Ontario Orphan Asylum and buildings for the Teachers College, Columbia University.

[1][25] In June 1888, he gave a challenge gift of $25,000 to construct a $100,000 memorial to Dr. Mark Hopkins, provided alumni donated the balance needed.

[26][27] The resulting Mark Hopkins Memorial building contained a library, art gallery, offices, and a room for lectures and recitations.

[29] in 1898, the New York Times noted that "Mr. Thompson is a veritable fairy godfather to [Vassar] college.

[31] When Vassar's new gymnasium opened in 1894, it had marble-lined, heated swimming pool, provided by Thompson.

[24][9][30] Opened in 1893, this three-story brick building featured Warsaw stone trim and a Tennessee marble staircase.

[33] Officially named the Frederick Ferris Thompson Annex Library, was also called "Uncle Fred's Nose.

[35][30] In 1890, he donated $1,500 to set up an emergency fund to provide short-term, interest-free loans for Vassar students.

[30] He also sponsored the annual outing to Lake Mohonk for Vassar's freshmen and seniors—about 300 students in total—providing transportation, hotel accommodations, and meals.

[37][35][30] The freshmen from the class of 1902 sent him a thank you telegram saying: "Frederick F. Thompson, New York: Mohonk is grand and so are you: Accept the thanks of nineteen-two.

[39] In June 1898 when Clara Barton sent an appeal to the newspaper to help the American National Red Cross' hospital ships serving the Americas in the Spanish-American War, Thompson was one the nine to become an immediate donor, giving $500.

[49] The house had a hidden staircase, a thirty-square-foot library, and eight stained glass windows depicting The Pilgrim's Progress.

[49] The house also had a steam elevator, placing it amongst an elite group of New York City homes owned by Jabez A. Bostick, E.N.

[3] He also wrote articles for photographic journals, sometimes signed “The Straggling Amateur.”[3] During the Civil War, Thompson organized and drilled members of the US Colored Troops.

[9] In February 1888, he was one of the many vice presidents of Citizens in Favor of High License and Restrictions of the Liquor Traffic.