Richard Thompson is a native Oregonian whose family first settled in Linn County, Oregon, in the 1880s. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Thompson has been a trolley crew coordinator, librarian, historical museum director, archivist, college instructor and archaeological field worker. Now semi-retired, he works as a public historian, writer and consultant. Thompson is the author of six books on electric railway history and has appeared in several documentaries, including Streetcar City, produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting. He has also written more than a dozen entries for the online Oregon Encyclopedia. For nearly twenty years, Richard was an active volunteer for the Oregon Electric Railway Historical Society, operating trolleys at its museum, as well as editing its newsletter and serving on the board of directors. He is also a past president of the Portland Chapter of the Victorian Society in America and a member of the Oregon Historical Society, the Light Rail Transit Association and the Market Street Railway.