James Robert Thompson Jr. (May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020) was an American politician and federal prosecutor who served as the 37th governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991. He was Illinois's longest-serving governor, serving four consecutive terms over fourteen years.

A moderate Republican, he was the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois during the early 1970s. As the U.S. Attorney, he tried and convicted several high-profile Illinois politicans, including former Democratic governor Otto Kerner Jr. Elected governor of Illinois in a landslide in 1976, he went on to win reelection three times, including in a historically close race against Adlai Stevenson III in 1982.

Following his tenure as governor, Thompson led a Chicago law firm for over a decade. In later years, Thompson served as a member of the 9/11 Commission, charged with investigating the September 11 attacks.

Early life and education

Thompson was born on May 8, 1936 in Chicago's West Side, the son of Agnes Josephine (Swanson) and James Robert Thompson. Both of his parents were originally from rural DeKalb County, Illinois. His father, James, Sr., was a doctor who also worked as a pathologist at the Chicago Municipal Tuberculosis Sanitarium.

Through his father, he was of English and Scotch-Irish descent. His direct paternal ancestor, David Thompson, was an early American colonist who is widely considered the founder of New Hampshire. Through his mother, he was also of Swedish descent.

Thompson grew up in Chicago's Garfield Park and Galewood neighborhoods, graduating from North Park Academy. He first attended the University of Illinois Chicago, studying political science at the Navy Pier campus and serving on the student council.

Law career

Following law school, Thompson worked in the Cook County State's Attorney's office under Democrat Daniel P. Ward. While working there in the early 1960s, he fought against obsenity and pornography, such as by prosecuting comedian Lenny Bruce. He also argued two cases in front of the United States Supreme Court, including Escobedo v. Illinois.

Serving from 1971 until 1975, he prosecuted around 350 Illinois public officials and their associates. During the early 1970s, he obtained a conviction against former governor Otto Kerner Jr. for his use of improper influence on behalf of the racetrack industry. He also tried and convicted many top aides of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley, most notably Alderman Thomas E. Keane and County Clerk Matt Danaher, on various corruption charges. Prosecuting these prominent members of Chicago's Democratic political machine gave Thompson the celebrity that fueled his run for governor in 1976.

However, Thompson was bipartisan in his attacks on political corruption in Cook County and Chicago, pursuing not only high-profile Democrats, but also Republicans. Organized crime in Chicago was harder for his unit to crack and there were few notable cases during his tenure. It remains the closest gubernatorial race in Illinois history.

1986 election

A rematch in 1986 was expected to be almost as close, but the Democrats were severely hamstrung when supporters of Lyndon LaRouche won the Democratic nominations for lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Stevenson refused to appear on the same ticket as the LaRouchites, and formed the Solidarity Party with the support of the regular state Democratic organization. With the Democrats badly split, Thompson skated to victory in the general election. Thompson was accused of hiding the sad shape that Illinois' economy and budget were in while campaigning, but once elected, called for an emergency session of the Illinois legislature to address the crisis.

Tenure

During his tenure, Thompson governed as a "Rockefeller Republican," often being called a moderate or liberal Republican. With the Chicago Sun-Times labeling him as a "master campaigner," Thompson was also known for his skill on the campaign trail during his four gubernatorial elections.thumb|Governor Thompson observing a military exercise in July 1986

In November 1980, Thompson, by his executive order, instituted a hiring freeze for all state agencies, boards, bureaus, and commissions under his control as governor. The order affected approximately 60,000 state positions. These positions could only be filled if the candidates were first approved by an office created by Thompson, the Governor's Office of Personnel. Suit was brought and the Supreme Court held this political patronage practice unconstitutional as a violation of the First Amendment rights of low-level public employees in Rutan v. Republican Party of Illinois, 497 U.S. 62 (1990).

In 1989, Governor Thompson agreed to establish a compounding, 3 percent cost-of-living increase for retirees from Illinois government jobs, including public school teachers. Years later, in an interview with a Chicago business magazine, Thompson said he never knew the cost might exceed $1 billion and likely would not have signed it if he had known. The cumulative effect of the 3 percent annual increases has been recognized as one of the major causes of Illinois' ongoing public employee pension crisis.

Thompson was also credited for helping save the Chicago White Sox during his tenure. His preffered successor, Secertary of State Jim Edgar, went on to win the race, serving two terms as governor. Thompson did not run for president, but was reportedly considered as a running mate for Republican nominee Ronald Reagan.

For several years, Thompson considered the possibility of making a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. Thompson subsequently served as national co-chair of Bush's successful presidential bid. As CEO of Winston & Strawn, he focused in the area of government relations and regulatory affairs. Thompson personally acted as Ryan's lawyer.

Thompson was also a director and head of the Audit Committee for Hollinger International, the media company founded by Conrad Black, which was the subject of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

Later career

In 2002, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the 9/11 Commission, where he aggressively questioned Richard Clarke, the former chief counter-terrorism adviser on the United States National Security Council.

In a tribute on Twitter, political consultant David Axelrod, who covered Thompson as a young journalist, described him as "one of the smartest and most formidable politicians I’ve ever known."

Legacy

In 1993, the State of Illinois Center in Chicago was renamed the James R. Thompson Center in his honor.

Thompson was inducted as a laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the state's highest honor) by the governor of Illinois in 1991 in the area of Government.

In 2022, outside Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, a bust of Thompson was errected to honor his 1988 effort to prevent the White Sox from moving. The base of the bust states, "Longest serving governor in Illinois history; 1977–1991; He kept the White Sox in Chicago."

References

Sources

  • Thompson's biography from the 9/11 Commission
  • Thompson's biography from Northwestern University
  • Receipt for Thompson's contribution for Friends of Hillary
  • National Governors Association

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