Fred Thompson

This article is about the actor/politician. For the silent movie actor, see Fred Thomson.

Frederick Dalton Thompson
United States Senator from Tennessee
In office December 2 1994 – January 3 2003
Preceded by	Harlan Matthews
Succeeded by	Lamar Alexander
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	(1) Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey (Knestrick), 1959–1985; div. (2) Jeri Kehn, 2002–Present
Alma mater	Memphis State University
Profession	character actor, senator, lawyer, lobbyist, public speaker, radio personality

Frederick Dalton "Fred" Thompson (born August 19 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist, character actor and former Republican Senator from Tennessee (now residing in McLean, Virginia). As of late June and early July, 2007, Thompson is the leading candidate among contenders for the Republican nomination for president. He last led with 27% of surveyed likely Republican votes.

He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, researching national security and intelligence. Thompson is also a public speaker with the Washington Speakers Bureau and is a special program host and senior analyst for ABC News Radio. He publishes a daily blog and podcast on the ABC Radio web site.

As an actor, Thompson has performed in film and on television. He has frequently portrayed governmental figures; in the 1993 film adaptation of Born Yesterday, Thompson played the character of a United States senator prior to his election to the Senate in real-life. In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing Arthur Branch. On May 30, 2007, he asked to be released from the show, potentially in preparation for a presidential bid.

On June 1 2007 Thompson formed a "testing the waters" committee regarding his possible 2008 campaign for President.

Early life

Fred Thompson was born in Sheffield, Alabama, USA, to Ruth Inez (Bradley) and Fletcher Session Thompson, an automobile salesman. He attended the public schools in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.

Thompson first attended Florence State College and then Memphis State University where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science in 1964. At this time, Fred and Sarah Thompson both worked to put Thompson through Vanderbilt and support three children. Thompson went on to earn his J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1967.

Attorney

Thompson was admitted to the State Bar of Tennessee in 1967 and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972. He was the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker's successful re-election campaign in 1972, which led to a close personal friendship with Baker. He later served as co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee in its investigation of the Watergate scandal, (1973–1974).

Watergate scandal

Main article: Watergate scandal

He was responsible for Baker 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, with him asking the key question, "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation of any listening devices in the Oval Office of the President?" Butterfield had answered the same question in a closed session the previous Friday and the decision had been made over the weekend to ask him again during the televised hearings.

However, others have criticized Thompson for leaking grand jury information to the Nixon White House while they were under investigation. In his 1975 memoir Thompson wrote, "At That Point in Time," Thompson noted he acted with "no authority" in divulging the committee's knowledge of the tapes, which provided the evidence that led to Nixon's resignation. "Even though I had no authority to act for the committee, I decided to call Fred Buzhardt at home" to tell him that the committee had learned about the taping system, Thompson wrote. "I wanted to be sure that the White House was fully aware of what was to be disclosed so that it could take appropriate action." Former investigator for Democrats on the committee, Scott Armstrong said "Thompson was a mole for the White House." In response to the Boston Globe's story Thompson said via e-mail without addressing the specific charge of being a Nixon mole: "I'm glad all of this has finally caused someone to read my Watergate book, even though it's taken them over thirty years." The Boston Globe concluded, "The view of Thompson as a Nixon mole is strikingly at odds with the former Tennessee senator's longtime image as an independent-minded prosecutor who helped bring down the president he admired."

Marie Ragghianti

In 1977 Thompson took on the case of Marie Ragghianti, a Tennessee Parole Board chairperson fired under suspicious circumstances. Thompson confirmed that her firing was due to her refusal to release from prison felons who had bribed aides of Democratic governor Ray Blanton to buy their freedom. Thompson filed a suit challenging Ragghianti's dismissal. A jury found in July of 1978, that Governor Blanton had fired her "arbitrarily and capriciously" and ordered her reinstatement with an award of $38,000 for back pay. Ragghianti's case would garner national attention, along with the publication of a book titled, simply, Marie, followed by a film of the same name. Thompson's work in helping to expose this cash-for-clemency scheme ultimately toppled Blanton from power.

Lobbyist

1975 to 1992

Over about two decades of lobbying, Fred Thompson represented clients including Haitian Presidente Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Canadian-owned cable companies and a British reinsurance company.

From 1975 to 1992 Thompson worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. representing such clients as Westinghouse, General Electric (the current corporate owner of the NBC Universal-NBC television network), and the Tennessee Savings and Loan League.

In 1982, Thompson lobbied the U.S. Congress for deregulation of the Savings and Loan (S&L) industry. His recommendations were incorporated in the Garn - St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982, which allowed thrifts to invest in potentially more profitable, but riskier, ventures; eliminated interest-rate ceilings on new accounts; and granted additional government support to ailing S&Ls. This Act was a contributing factor to the Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s.

In 1991, Thompson began work with the Washington, D.C. firm of Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin, & Kahn, representing overseas business entities as a registered foreign agent. These included a German mining company and Toyota Motors of Japan.

2004 to 2007

Between 2004 and 2007, Thompson worked part-time for London-based Equitas Ltd. He was paid $760,000 to keep in touch with his former Senate colleagues to learn the latest about bills that Equitas cared about. Equitas held billions of dollars to pay off claims from people with asbestos-related health problems. Thompson and other lobbyists helped remove a provision in a 2005 bill that would have made Equitas pay a very large portion of a proposed asbestos settlement. In June 2007, Thompson spokesman Mark Corrallo said that Thompson was proud to have been a lobbyist and believed in Equitas's cause.

Character actor

The 1977 Ray Blanton-Tennessee Parole Board scandal later became the subject of a 1983 book, Marie, by Peter Maas. Director Roger Donaldson bought the film rights and traveled to Nashville to speak with the people involved with the original case. After meeting with Thompson, Donaldson asked Thompson if he wanted to play himself in the movie; Thompson agreed. The resulting film, Marie, was released in 1985. Donaldson then cast Thompson in the part of the CIA Director in his next movie, No Way Out, in 1987.

Thompson would go on to appear in many films and television shows. A 1994 New York Times profile described his character roles:

The glowering, hulking Mr. Thompson has played a White House chief of staff, a director of the Central Intelligence Agency, a highly placed F.B.I. agent, a rear admiral, even a senator. When Hollywood directors need someone who can personify governmental power, they often turn to him.

— New York Times, 1994,

In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing Arthur Branch; in the spring of 2005, Thompson concurrently played the role on the original series and the short-lived sister series Law & Order: Trial by Jury. He has also made occasional appearances in the same role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and the pilot episode of Conviction. Thompson filmed his parts during Senate recesses. On May 30 2007, he asked to be released from the show.

Senate campaign

In 1994, Thompson was elected to finish the remaining two years of Al Gore's unexpired Senate term after Gore was elected Vice President of the United States in 1992. Thompson drove around Tennessee in a red pickup truck, charging that his opponent, longtime Nashville Congressman Jim Cooper, had "never seen the inside of a pickup." Cooper charged that the truck was a gimmick and that with Thompson's work as an attorney and 18 years of lobbying in Washington, it would be more appropriate for Thompson to ride in a limo.

In a good year for Republican candidates, he defeated Cooper in a landslide victory. On the same night Thompson was elected to fill Gore's unexpired term, political newcomer Bill Frist, a Nashville heart surgeon, defeated three-term incumbent Democrat Jim Sasser, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, by 14 percentage points for Tennessee's other U.S. Senate seat, which was up for a full six-year term. The twin victories by Thompson and Frist gave Republicans control of both of Tennessee's Senate seats for the first time since Sasser ousted incumbent Bill Brock in 1976. The GOP continues to hold both of the Volunteer State's seats; Thompson's was won by former Tennessee Governor and Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander in 2002, and Frist's seat was assumed by former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker in 2006.

Thompson was re-elected in 1996 (for the term ending January 3 2003) in an even larger landslide, defeating Democratic attorney Houston Gordon of Covington, Tennessee even as Bill Clinton narrowly carried Tennessee on his way to re-election.

Senate career

Senator Thompson speaks at a press conference about campaign finance reform

While in the Senate, Thompson served as the chairman of the Committee on Governmental Affairs from 1997 to 2001 and January 20 to June 6 2001. The committee conducted investigations into allegations that China attempted to influence American politics prior to the 1996 elections (See: campaign finance scandal). During 1997, Thompson was "...largely stymied" during his 1997 U.S. Senate investigations of both Clinton-Gore and GOP campaign fund-raising activities, more particularly with witnesses for the Thompson investigations declining to testify, claiming the right not to incriminate themselves or simply leaving the United States' jurisdiction.

On February 12 1999, the Senate voted on the Clinton impeachment. Thompson voted "not guilty" on article 1, the perjury article, but voted "guilty" on article 2, the obstruction of justice article. The Senate's vote was 45-55 on perjury and 50-50 on obstruction. Conviction on impeachment charges requires the affirmative votes of 67 senators.

In the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, Thompson initially backed former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who eventually succeeded Thompson in the Senate two years later. When Alexander dropped out of the race, Thompson endorsed Senator John McCain's bid and became his national co-chairman.

Control of the Senate passed from Republican to Democratic when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont switched his party allegiance from Republican to Independent. Thompson then became the ranking minority member of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

Post-Senate activities

Thompson was not a candidate for re-election in 2002. He had publicly stated his unwillingness to have the Senate become a long-term career. Although he announced in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks his intention to seek re-election ("Now is not the time for me to leave," said Thompson at the time), upon further reflection he decided against it. The decision seems to have been prompted in large part by the death of his daughter (Elizabeth "Betsy" Thompson Panici) on January 30 2002, from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Political work

In March 2003, Thompson was featured in a commercial by the pro-war group Citizens United that advocated the invasion of Iraq, stating: "When people ask what has Saddam done to us, I ask, what had the 9/11 hijackers done to us -- before 9/11."

Thompson did voice-over work at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

After the retirement of Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 2005, he was appointed to an informal position by President George W. Bush to help guide the nomination of John Roberts through the United States Senate confirmation process. Thompson also is the chair of the International Security Advisory Board, a bipartisan advisory panel that reports to the Secretary of State and focuses on emerging strategic threats.

Federal Election Commission records released in May 2007 show that Thompson’s political action committee transferred $178,000 to his son’s political consulting firm. In contrast, the committee made only $66,700 in contributions to other campaigns and political committees in the four years since Thompson retired from the Senate.

Legal Defense for Lewis Libby

Main article: Lewis Libby

In 2006 he served on the advisory board of the legal defense fund for I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby, Jr, who was indicted and later convicted of lying to federal investigators during their investigation of the Plame affair. The Scooter Libby Legal Defense Fund Trust set out to raise more than $5 million to help finance the legal defense of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff. Thompson even "held a fundraiser for Libby at his McLean home".

After Bush commuted Libby's sentence Thompson released a statement: "I am very happy for Scooter Libby," Thompson said. "I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

Radio analyst

In 2006, he signed on with ABC News Radio to serve as senior analyst and vacation replacement for Paul Harvey. As part of his radio contract with ABC, in June 2007, Thompson created radio commercials for LifeLock, an identity fraud protection company that was the subject of national attention when its co-founder resigned.

Presidential campaign

Speculation

On March 11 2007, Thompson appeared on Fox News Sunday to discuss the possibility of a 2008 candidacy for president. The announcement spurred several grassroots draft movements, including a well-organized draft campaign started by Dean Rice, a former Thompson political aide, in Knoxville, Tennessee. While Thompson had not yet formally announced his intentions, he said he would "leave the door open." Thompson has stated that he would not be interested in accepting a hypothetical nomination for vice president, explaining "I don't think I would ever want to do that and be in the second position."

Thompson's March 11 announcement spurred a flurry of conjecture, discussion and activity on the internet. In the wake of Thompson's announcement, grassroots organizations, "Draft Fred" websites and online forums began springing up all over the web. The DraftFredThompson.com forum site became a particularly popular online forum for supporters of Fred Thompson. One group of Fred Thompson supporters, many of whom call themselves "FredHeads," organized under the banner "FredHeadsUSA" with a plan to build a grassroots pro-Fred political movement in the physical world to expand on the vigorous pro-Fred activity already taking place in the virtual world.

On May 2 2007, Thompson wrote an article critical of Cuba's government-run health care, and of filmmaker Michael Moore's visit to Cuba. Moore responded on May 15 2007 with a challenge for a health care debate. Moore also cited the fact that Thompson was mentioned in an article to own several boxes of Cuban cigars, calling Thompson a hypocrite. Later that day, Thompson responded with a video, in which he declined to debate Moore and mentioned the case of Cuban filmmaker Nicolás Guillén, who was jailed by the Cuban government and subjected to electroconvulsive therapy.

On May 18, he continued his Internet campaign, posting a letter to Pajamas Media acknowledging his online supporters. (Pajamas Media's straw poll was one of several Thompson had won in previous weeks.)

On May 30, The Politico reported that Thompson plans to enter the presidential race over the Independence Day weekend. But a Thompson associate quoted in The Hillary Spot said "there will not be a presidential announcement from Fred Thompson on July 4."

Thompson formed an exploratory committee on June 1. Thompson's first public appearance after this exploratory committee was June 2 at the Virginia Republicans annual fund-raising gala in Richmond, Virginia, according to the Virginia Daily Press.

On June 5, 2007 Fred Thompson launched his website http://www.imwithfred.com. Also on June 5, there was a Republican Presidential Candidates debate with the current 10 candidates, from New Hampshire, broadcast on CNN. Fred Thompson was mentioned repeatedly as one of the poll front runners even though he did not participate. It was anticipated he would formally announce his candidacy in July. In a June 6 appearance on Hannity and Colmes, Republican pollster Frank Luntz described Fred Thompson as the "Six-million-pound gorilla" of the Republican primary race.

On June 12, 2007, Thompson appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He would not announce his candidacy, but referred to his "testing the waters" committee, which he stated yielded positive prospects. Leno, feeling that he was being coy and modest, pointed out that Thompson had risen to an impressive #2 in the polls (see below), and asked Thompson if he would at least state if he would like the job of President. Thompson responded that, while he did not crave the job itself, there were things he would like to do that he could only do by holding that office.

Political insiders in Tennessee expect the inner circle of a Thompson campaign to include, in addition to his politically experienced wife, a number of functionaries with whom Thompson has been associated in the past. Chief among them would be former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, an elder statesman of the GOP. Another name mentioned is campaign advertising expert Ken Reitz. Also said to be likely senior advisers are former Republican National Committee chair Ed Gillespie, former tobacco company executive Tom Collamore, PR man Mark Corallo, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission Michael E. Toner, former U.S. Senate aide Tom Daffron, longtime Tennessee political fixer Tom Ingram and Congressman Zach Wamp.

Thompson would be the tallest candidate running so far in the presidential race and if nominated would be the tallest nominee (Winfield Scott was 1" shorter at 6' 5"). If elected president, he would be the tallest president ever and the second president in U.S. history (after James Garfield) to belong to the Churches of Christ, a small, non-denominational Christian group that emerged from the American Restoration Movement in the 19th century.

Polls

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll released May 6 2007 placed Thompson in third with 13%, ahead of Mitt Romney with 10%, and behind Arizona Senator John McCain with 23% and Rudy Giuliani with 25%. A May 17 2007 Rasmussen Reports poll had him with 44 percent to U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton's 47 percent; a May 1, 2007 Quinnipiac University poll had Clinton leading 46-39.

By June 5, 2007, the field reshaped to Giuliani, 23%, Thompson, 17%, Romney, 15% and McCain, 14%, according to Rasmussen Reports. By June 12, 2007, Rasmussen Reports showed Giuliani and Thompson tied at 24% followed by Romney and McCain also tied at 11%. A June 12 Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll cites that Giuliani retains GOP lead with support from 27% percent, while Thompson is right behind him with 21%. The two other major Republican contenders, McCain and Romney, were well behind with 12% and 10% respectively.

The June 19, 2007 Rasmussen Reports showed Thompson at 28%, Giuliani at 27%, followed by Romney and McCain tied at 10%. "The Rasmussen Reports sample includes not only Republicans, but also independents who say they are likely to vote in a Republican Primary .... Among Republicans only in the current poll, it’s Thompson 29% Giuliani 24% Romney 11% and McCain 10%."

On June 26, 2007, Rasmussen Reports showed Thompson at 27%, Giuliani at 23%, Romney at 12% and McCain at 11%.

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson describes himself as a conservative. He has said that federalism was his "lodestar" in the Senate, providing "a basis for a proper analysis of most issues: 'Is this something government should be doing? If so, at what level of government?'"

Personal life

In September 1959, at the age of 17, Thompson married Sarah Elizabeth Lindsey. Their son Fred Dalton "Tony" Thompson Jr. was born in April 1960. They had three children, two of whom are alive and have worked as lobbyists , and they now have five grandchildren. They divorced in 1985. According to Thompson, Sarah will campaign for him if he runs for president.

Prior to his current marriage, Thompson was romantically linked to country singer Lorrie Morgan, Republican fundraiser Georgette Mosbacher, and columnist Margaret Carlson. All three have indicated support for Thompson should he decide to run for President.

On June 29 2002, Thompson, then aged 59, married Jeri Kehn, then 35. The two first met on July 4, 1996. Kehn is a native of Hastings, Nebraska, grew up in Naperville, Illinois and attended DePauw University. Prior to being married she was an attorney and a political media consultant at the Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, and McPherson law firm in Washington, D.C. Prior to that she had worked for the Senate Republican Conference and the Republican National Committee. In October 2003, Fred and Jeri Thompson had their first child, Hayden Victoria Thompson. A second child was born in November, 2006.

Cancer

In an April 2007 interview on Your World with Neil Cavuto on Fox News, Thompson declared that he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a form of cancer. "I have had no illness from it, or even any symptoms. My life expectancy should not be affected. I am in remission, and it is very treatable with drugs if treatment is needed in the future — and with no debilitating side effects," Thompson said. Like many patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Thompson received treatment with Rituxan. Thompson's cancer, though currently incurable, is reportedly indolent, the lowest of three grades of NHL.

Filmography

Movies

• Marie (1985)
• No Way Out (1987)
• Feds (1988)
• Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
• The Hunt for Red October (1990)
• Days of Thunder (1990)
• Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
• Flight of the Intruder (1991) (uncredited)

• Class Action (1991)
• Necessary Roughness (1991)
• Curly Sue (1991)
• Cape Fear (1991)
• Aces: Iron Eagle III (1992)
• Thunderheart (1992)
• White Sands (1992) (uncredited)
• Born Yesterday (1993)

• In the Line of Fire (1993)
• Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
• Baby's Day Out (1994)
• Celsius 41.11 (2004)
• Racing Stripes (2005, voice)
• Last Best Chance (2005)
• Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)

TV series

• Law & Order (2002-2007)
• Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005-2006)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (11 episodes, 2003-2006)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2 episodes, 2005)
• Conviction (1 episode, 2006)
• Sex and the City (1 episode, 2000, as "Politician on TV")
• Matlock (1 episode in 1989 as "Gordon Lewis" and 1 episode in 1993 as "Prosecutor Mr. McGonigal")
• Roseanne (1 episode, 1989, as "Keith Faber")
• China Beach (1 episode, 1989, as "Lt. Col. Reinhardt")
• Wiseguy (3 episodes, 1988, as "Knox Pooley")

Bibliography

Books and other publications

• Thompson, Fred (1975). At That Point in Time: The inside story of the Senate Watergate Committee. Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. ISBN 0812905369.

Electoral history

Tennessee United States Senate Election, 1996

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Fred Thompson (Incumbent)	1,091,554	61.37	+0.93
	Democratic	Houston Gordon	654,937	36.82
	Independent	John Jay Hooker	14,401	0.81
Majority			436,617	24.55	+2.72
	Republican hold		Swing

Tennessee United States Senate Election, 1994 (Special)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Fred Thompson	885,998	60.44
	Democratic	Jim Cooper	565,930	38.61
Majority			320,068	21.83	-16.07
	Republican gain from Democratic		Swing

External links

Official sites

• I'm With Fred, Friends of Fred Thompson, Inc. (Thompson's official exploratory committee)
• The Fred Thompson Report, ABC Radio Networks
• United States Congress. "Fred Thompson (id: T000457)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Documentaries, topic pages and databases

• NumbersUSA Profile All Immigration Votes of Senator Fred Thompson
• Fred Dalton Thompson at IMDb acting career
• On the Issues - Fred Thompson issue positions and quotes
• Center for Responsive Politics (aka OpenSecrets.org) campaign contributions
  • 2002 (Senator) 2000 (Senator) (Senator) 1996 (Senator) 1994 (Member of Congress)
• Washington Post "Congress Votes Database: Fred Thompson" voting record

Media coverage

• Theobald, Bill (June 10, 2007). "Thompson survey said: "I do not believe abortion should be criminalized"". Tennessean. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

• Bailey, Holly (June 19, 2007). "Fred Thompson: Not So Conservative?". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-06-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

• Vogel, Kenneth (April 2, 2007). "'Law & Order' And Lobbying". The Politico. Retrieved 2007-06-29. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

• Novak, Robert, "Thompson's White House Talk is No Act" Sun-Times, April 2, 2007.
• Halperin, Mark (May 24, 2007). "A New Role for Fred Thompson". TIME Magazine. Retrieved 2007-06-01. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)