Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)

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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 politicians, 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.

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