Thompson remembered as community leader in civil rights, business

The local business community today is remembering Horatio Thompson, a successful businessman, community volunteer and civil rights activist who died Saturday at the age of 98. “He was the epitome of the community activist,” recalls Richard Lipsey, who knew Thompson through several volunteer organizations. “Anything you call Horatio for, he was there for you. He was an absolute perfect gentleman in every way.” The long-retired owner of Horatio Thompson Realty and a 1997 Business Report Business Hall of Fame inductee, Thompson was regarded as the icon and elder statesman of the city’s black business community. He took part in the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott and was an early member of the city’s biracial committee in the 1960s. But he earned the respect and admiration of both black and white business and political leaders for his ability to bring people of all races together. “It was his leadership ability and integrity that made him a vital part of the community,” says Lipsey, who is also a Business Hall of Fame inductee. Thompson was a 1937 graduate of Southern University. In a written statement, system President Ronald Mason Jr. says, “His achievements as a civil rights activist and successful businessman are phenomenal, and his dedication to making the world a better place for all people is honorable.” Read a 2007 Business Report story about Thompson here. —Stephanie Riegel