John Edward West Thompson (December 16, 1860 – October 6, 1918) was an American physician and diplomat.

In 1884, after graduating from Yale University and studying medicine further in Europe, Thompson became one of the first African-American physicians to practice in New York City.

He served as U.S. Minister Resident / Consul General to Haiti from June 30, 1885, to October 17, 1889, and as U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Santo Domingo from 1885 to 1889, both under political appointments by Democratic president Grover Cleveland.

After attending local schools, Thompson studied at Weston Military Institute and Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts.

As minister resident, Thompson was called upon, and claimed that he had represented 60,000,000 Americans at Santo Domingo for six years.

[12] One of his first assignments was to investigate a homicide allegedly committed by Van Blokklen, an American who was imprisoned as a suspect by the Haitian government.

On July 16, discontent about Haitian President Lysius Salomon resulted in widespread street protests.

[8] The following day, General François Denys Légitime was declared chief of the executive power of Haiti.

In the late 19th century, ships coming from Caribbean ports sometimes carried passengers with cholera or other infectious diseases such as yellow fever.

As the medical community had little understanding of how the diseases were spread, and sanitation was poor in most cities, cholera and yellow fever swept through American sea and river ports in more than one epidemic in this period.

The US minister was supposed to ensure that ships departing for the United States had no outstanding health issues.

Thompson issued such a bill of health against Captain Francis Munroe Ramsay and his steamship, USS Boston.

[14] On November 24, the French minister and the British consul-general announced they had failed to effect a reconciliation of major parties in the north of Haiti to Légitime.

[16] After returning to the United States, Thompson had a medical practice as a physician in Mount Hope, New York.

In August 1898, Thompson served as a delegate to the fifth convention of the Negro National Democratic League at the Tammany Hall United Colored Democracy at 152 West 53 Street in New York City.

On October 6, Thompson began to enter his medical office at 966 Main Street in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Nick Scorfacio, an Italian American employee, cleaned Thompson's office before he witnessed the murder.