James R. Thompson
Governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the Illinois Governor. For the NASA official, see James R. Thompson Jr. For the statistician, see James R. Thompson (statistician).
James Robert Thompson Jr. (May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020) was an American politician, lobbyist, and federal prosecutor who served as the 37th governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991.[1] He was Illinois's longest-serving governor, having been elected to four consecutive terms and holding the office for 14 years.
Quick Facts Chair of the Intelligence Oversight Board, President ...
James R. Thompson | |
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Chair of the Intelligence Oversight Board | |
In office February 26, 1990 – January 20, 1993 | |
President | George H. W. Bush |
Preceded by | Glenn W. Campbell |
Succeeded by | William Crowe |
37th Governor of Illinois | |
In office January 10, 1977 – January 14, 1991 | |
Lieutenant | Dave O'Neal George Ryan |
Preceded by | Dan Walker |
Succeeded by | Jim Edgar |
Chair of the National Governors Association | |
In office August 2, 1983 – July 31, 1984 | |
Preceded by | Scott Matheson |
Succeeded by | John Carlin |
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois | |
In office 1971–1975 | |
President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
Preceded by | William J. Bauer |
Succeeded by | Samuel K. Skinner |
Personal details | |
Born | James Robert Thompson Jr. (1936-05-08)May 8, 1936 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | August 14, 2020(2020-08-14) (aged 84) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Jayne Carr |
Children | 1 |
Education | University of Illinois, Chicago Washington University (BA) Northwestern University (JD) |
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Thompson was known as a "Rockefeller Republican", as he took more liberal stances on certain issues during his tenure.[2] In later years, Thompson served as a member of the 9/11 Commission, charged with investigating the September 11 attacks.[3]