James M. Thomson (newspaper publisher)

James McIlhany Thomson (February 13, 1878 – September 25, 1959) was an American newspaper publisher, best known for his long tenure as head of the New Orleans Item newspaper and his political role within the Democratic Party.

Thomson was born in Jefferson County, West Virginia on February 13, 1878.

[1] Shortly after graduating, Thomson became editor of the Norfolk, Virginia Dispatch, where he worked from 1900 to 1906.

From 1906 to 1941, Thomson served in the position he would hold for most of his life, as publisher of the New Orleans Item-Tribune, then known simply as the Item.

[2] Thomson himself would serve as delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1920, 1924, and 1944 for the state of Louisiana.