Peter Thompson, the namesake of his father, was born May 27, 1898, the sixth child of Peder A. and Maria (Frederikson) Thompson. He was born at their farm home in Vineland Township, Polk County, Minnesota. Peter was baptized and confirmed at the Sand Hill Lutheran Church.
Peter was raised on his parent's farm north of Climax, Minnesota, and completed high school in Climax. In 1918 he received a B.A. in Business from the Crookston College and then served in the U.S. Navy from 1918 to 1920.
He married Alma Theresa Evenson at Climax on June 12, 1920 and they raised four children: Adeline, Milton, Fay and Janice.
Peter's job history was varied. In 1921 he served as a bank teller at Oslo, Minnesota, and later, in 1925, was a retail clerk and bookkeeper in Crookston. The family then moved to Pontiac, Michigan, where Peter was a part time employee with the U.S. Post Office in 1929 and where he also farmed and ran a grocery store. He worked as a technical writer for the experimental division of General Motors in Pontiac. He later worked full time with the postal service in Pontiac and continued as a postal employee after the family moved to South Pasadena, California.
Peter's youngest daughter, Janice, says this about her father: "Peter was a participatory sports enthusiast (all sports except perhaps fishing), bibliophile, crossword puzzle fan, gadget-of-the-month club member, game player (whist, monopoly, checkers, etc.), hat collector, pocket knife collector, camera buff, seafood enthusiast, active member and officer of the Postal Employees Association, decisive individual (he married Alma after a one-month courtship), active church member, and a nice, loving man with a great sense of humor."
Peter died May 7, 1960 at South Pasadena shortly before his 62nd birthday. He is buried at Glendale, California.
Norwegian Roots to American Branches, Harlow Thompson, 1983