The Resume

(December 31, 1860-June 21, 1940)
Born in Newport, Kentucky
Served a Chief Ordinance Officer to General William Shafter in the Spanish-American War
Director of Arsenals during World War I
Retired at the rank of Brigadier General
Invented the Thompson sub-machine gun (1920)

Why he might be annoying:

The ‘T’ in his name originally stood for Taliaferro, but he Anglicized it to Tolliver.
As chair of the ordinance board that selected the M1911 pistol as the Army’s standard sidearm, he tested ammo for the gun by firing bullets into human cadavers and live cattle (1904).
The Thompson submachine gun became the preferred weapon of organized crime during the Prohibition era.

Why he might not be annoying:

While the US Army was generally plagued by logistical problems during the Spanish-American War, he managed the transfer of 18,000 tons of munitions from Tampa to the battlefields in Cuba efficiently and without accidents.
He received the Distinguished Service Medal for his service in World War I, which included supervising all small-arms production for the Army.
During World War II, over 1.5 million Thompson submachine guns were manufactured for the US military; it was most widely used by military police, tank crews, rangers, and paratroopers.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• Born on New Year's Eve [December 31st] (Ranked: 1860)
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 76]
• Generals and Admirals
• I Attended Indiana University [Bloomington]
• I Attended West Point
• I Died in 1940 (Ranked: 79)
• Inventors
• Look at Me, I'm Armed
• Military Brats
• People with John or Mary in their Names
• Profiles 46751-47000 (Ranked: 46858)
• Served in World War I
• We Died on the Same Day (Ranked: 19400621)
• Weapon Namesakes

Year In Review:

In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 5.26% Annoying