James R. Thompson

James R. Thompson

Governor James Robert Thompson during a military exercise, July 1986

James Robert Thompson (born May 8, 1936 in Chicago , Illinois , † August 14, 2020 there ) was an American politician . He was the 37th governor of the state of Illinois from 1977 to 1991 .

Early years and political advancement

James Thompson attended the University of Illinois in Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis , Missouri . He then studied law at Northwestern University . After his successful examination in 1959 and his admission to the bar, he became a law professor with a chair at that university. He began his political career in the Cook County District Attorney's office . Then he was in the early 1970s as the successor to William Joseph Bauer federal prosecutor for the northern district of Illinois. In this capacity he was the prosecutor of the former governor Otto Kerner , who was convicted of various offenses. Chicago city leaders, including some supporters of Mayor Richard J. Daley , were also charged . This made him so well known that it was not difficult for him to be nominated governor by the Republican Party in 1976 . However, his opponents accused him of being one-sided because he mainly accused members of the Democratic Party .

Illinois Governor

After winning his election, he began his 14-year term on January 10, 1977. He still holds the record in office for governors of Illinois to this day. He served a total of four consecutive terms, the first of which was shortened to two years. This shortening had been decided in order not to allow the gubernatorial elections to take place at the same time as the presidential elections in the future . Instead, they should be held at the same time as the congressional elections.

Due to an economic recession, the country's national debt rose rapidly at the beginning of his term in office. As a countermeasure, a hiring freeze for the public sector was imposed in November 1980, which affected around 60,000 jobs. Only positions that were absolutely necessary were filled. This practice was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1990 , also because the suspicion arose that the governor's party friends were given preferential treatment.

One of the key facts of his tenure was the confirmation of the death penalty in 1977. In July 1978, a revolt broke out at Pontiac Prison, in which three guards were killed.

In 1979, Jane Byrne became the first woman to be elected mayor of Chicago. In 1983 she was replaced by Harold Washington , who became the first African American in this office. On May 25, 1979, there was a plane crash in Chicago in which 275 people were killed. Prosecutor William Scott was convicted of tax evasion on March 19, 1980.

On April 1, 1980, the governor's government established the Ministry of Nuclear Safety. Another new department in the government followed in July with the Ministry of Human Rights. These two ministries were created before the November 1980 hiring freeze. In 1984 the Ministry against Alcohol Abuse was supposed to be founded.

In 1981, despite a troubled budget, the State of Illinois granted a $ 20 million loan to ailing automaker Chrysler .

In 1983 there was a record heatwave and a drought that resulted in huge crop failures and put some farmers in financial difficulties. After the 1983 drought, the Illinois River flooded in March 1985 , which also caused considerable damage, and finally there was another drought in 1988, which again hit agriculture. In 1989 Illinois income tax increased. With the money, the education system was improved and the local administrations were relieved.

In 1990 the population of Illinois was 11.4 million. That meant no changes compared to the figure for 1980. This stagnation also reflects the country's economic problems, which were caused, among other things, by the natural disasters mentioned.

At the end of Governor Thompson's last term in office, the Second Gulf War broke out , in which about 20,000 soldiers from Illinois were deployed.

Another résumé

James Thompson's last tenure as governor of Illinois ended on January 14, 1991. Since 1993, he has headed a major Chicago law firm. This law firm was to represent George Ryan in 2006 . He was also governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003 and has now been charged and convicted of corruption. In the 2008 presidential campaign he supported the early retired former mayor of New York City , Rudolph Giuliani .

In 2002, Thompson was appointed to the commission of inquiry into the September 11, 2001 attacks .

Web links

Commons : James R. Thompson  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• James R. Thompson in the nndb (English)
• James Thompson in the National Governors Association (English)
• Illinois Blue Book History and Election Results, p. 374

Individual evidence

1. ^ Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson dies at age 84. A Republican from Chicago, 'Big Jim' served 4 terms.
2. ↑ Man in the News; the Anonymous Investigator , The New York Times , October 5, 1982.