Curriculum Vitae
- Born August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama to Ruth Bradley and Fletcher Thompson
- BA Philosophy, Political Science, Memphis State University 1964
- JD Vanderbuilt University Law School 1967
- Assistant US Attorney 1969-1972
- Campaign Manager Sen Howard Baker 1972
- Co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee 1973-74
- Attorney, Actor 1975-1994
- US Senator 1994-2002
- Actor, Political Consultant, 2002-present
History
As Watergate Co-chief counsel, he responsible for Sen Baker's asking one of the questions that is said to have led directly to the downfall of President Richard Nixon—"What did the President know, and when did he know it?" Also, Thompson's voice has become immortalized in recordings of the Watergate proceedings, asking the key question, "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the President?"
In 1977, Thompson took on a Tennessee Parole Board case that ultimately toppled Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton from power on charges of selling pardons.
As an actor, he played many parts but is best known for his role as a cheif District Attorny in "Law an Order", a TV Series. A 1994 New York Times profile described his roles as ones that portray authority: "When Hollywood directors need someone who can personify governmental power, they often turn to him."
On November 8, 1994, Thompson was elected to the United States Senate to fill the unexpired portion of the term ending January 3, 1997, left vacant by the resignation of Al Gore, defeating six-term Democratic U.S. Representative Jim Cooper in a 61% to 39% landslide which represented the most votes anyone had ever received for a statewide office in Tennessee history up to that point. Thompson was easily re-elected in 1996 for the term ending January 3, 2003 over Democratic attorney Houston Gordon of Covington, Tennessee by an even larger margin than that by which he had defeated Cooper two years earlier.
Current History
Senator Thompson was given an informal position by President George W. Bush to help guide the nominated Cheif Justice John Roberts and Judge Alito to the confirmation through the United States Senate. He also is the chair of the International Security Advisory Board, an advisory panel that includes Democrats and evaluates and reports to the Secretary of State on future threats to the United States. In 2006, Thompson signed on with ABC News Radio to serve as a host, commentator, and fill-in for Paul Harvey.
Data Courtesy of Wikipedia 10 Mar 2007
