Meldrim Thomson, Jr.
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Meldrim Thomson, Jr. (March 8, 1912–April 19, 2001) was Governor of the U.S. state of New Hampshire from 1973 to 1979, during which time he became known for the pugnacious presentation of an extremely conservative political viewpoint.
Thomson's actions included suggesting nuclear weapons for the state National Guard, calling Martin Luther King Jr. "a man of immoral character whose frequent association with leading agents of communism is well established," and putting state flags at half-staff to mourn the U.S. recognition of China and the signing of the Panama Canal treaty, which eventually transferred ownership of the canal to Panama.
It was during Thomson's tenure that the phrase Live Free or Die was placed on New Hampshire's license plates. It has since become the best-known state motto in the country.
Thomson was a close ally of William Loeb, the extremely conservative publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, New Hamsphire's only statewide newspaper.Template:Lived