Jim Thompson (designer)

James Harrison Wilson Thompson (March 21, 1906 – disappeared March 26, 1967; declared dead 1974) was an American businessman who helped revitalize the Thai silk industry in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time of his disappearance he was one of the most famous Americans living in Asia. Time magazine claimed he "almost singlehanded(ly) saved Thailand's vital silk industry from extinction".

Jim Thompson
Born
James Harrison Wilson Thompson

March 21, 1906
Greenville, Delaware, United States of America
DisappearedMarch 26, 1967 (aged 61)
Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
StatusDeclared dead in absentia by a Thai court in 1974(1974-00-00) (aged 67–68)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materPrinceton University
University of Pennsylvania
OccupationCo-founder of the Thai Silk Company Limited
Known for
  • being a spy during the Second World War.
  • reviving the Thai silk industry in the 1950s/1960s.
  • being a major collector of Southeast Asian art.
  • constructing the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok, Thailand.
  • "mysteriously" disappearing from the Cameron Highlands without a trace.
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