Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)
Jim Thompson | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, c. 1987 | |
| Chair of the Intelligence Oversight Board | |
| In office February 26, 1990 – January 20, 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | W. Glenn 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 November 10, 1971 – June 30, 1975 | |
| President | Richard Nixon Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | William J. Bauer |
| Succeeded by | Samuel K. Skinner |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Robert Thompson Jr. May 8, 1936 |
| Died | August 14, 2020 (aged 84) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jayne Carr |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Illinois, Chicago Washington University (BA) Northwestern University (JD) |
| Signature | |
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, having been elected to four consecutive terms and holding the office for 14 years, and is also the only governor to have served more than two terms. A member of the Republican Party, Thompson was known as a "Rockefeller Republican", governing during his tenure as both a fiscal conservative and social liberal.
In later years, Thompson served as a member of the 9/11 Commission, charged with investigating the September 11 attacks.