Biographical details may be obtained from Thompson's alumni file. A life trustee, he was elected a charter trustee in 1906, and for a period chaired the Board of Trustees as well as the Endowment, Alumni Rowing, and Grounds and Buildings committees. A summary of his major posts is as follows:
- Grounds and Buildings: 1907-1928
- Curriculum: 1907-1925, 1928-29
- Administrative: 1919-1928, 1930-31
- Finance: 1921-1925
- Library: 1931-32
As chairman of the Grounds and Buildings Committee from 1909-1928, Thompson saw to the construction of twenty-five campus buildings, beginning with Holder Hall and ending with the University Chapel. He was also an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects and a friend of Woodrow Wilson; his correspondence with Wilson on committee matters during Wilson's presidency at Princeton is in the files.
From the guide to the Henry Burling Thompson Papers, 1889-1913, (Princeton University. Library. Dept. of Rare Books and Special Collections)
