Background
He was born in Württemberg, Germany and immigrated to Wheeling, West Virginia in 1831, and moved to Louisville in 1837.
He was born in Württemberg, Germany and immigrated to Wheeling, West Virginia in 1831, and moved to Louisville in 1837.
He was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly in 1849 and the Louisville City Council in 1861, serving until 1864. He was elected mayor April 1, 1865 over Unionist Knights of Pythias Thixton. Tomppert was a Democrat who advocated an end to the Civil War and return to the pre-war Union, with slavery intact.
A controversy erupted just after Tomppert was sworn in, as it was revealed that a council member had accepted a $5,000 bribe to approve a street railway along Market Street.
Though the council approved it, Tomppert refused to sign the law because of the bribe. As a result, the council impeached him for "neglect of duty" and voted him out by a 10-2 margin on December 28, 1865.
The post was filled by James South. Lithgow until the State Court of Appeals reinstated Tomppert on February 14, 1867 to fill the remainder of the term. Tomppert was subsequently reelected.
Tomppert was a Freemason, holding the position of master.
He died of typhoid fever and is buried in Louisville"s Eastern Cemetery.