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{{Short description|American politician (1918 – 1989)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox Congressman
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Frank Thompson
|name = Frank Thompson
| image name = Frank Thompson.jpg
|image = Frank Thompson.jpg
|office = Chair of the [[United States House Committee on House Administration|House Administration Committee]]
| state1 = [[New Jersey]]
|term_start = June 18, 1976
⚫
| district1 = {{ushr|New Jersey|4|4th}}
| term1 = January 3, 1955 – December 29, 1980
|term_end = December 29, 1980
| preceded1 = [[Charles R. Howell]]
|predecessor = [[Wayne Hays]]
|successor = [[Lucien N. Nedzi]]
⚫
| succeeded1 = [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]]
| office2 = Member of the [[New Jersey General Assembly]]
|state1 = [[New Jersey]]
⚫
|district1 = {{ushr|NJ|4|4th}}
| term2 = 1950-1954
|term_start1 = January 3, 1955
⚫
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|07|28|mf=y}}
⚫
|term_end1 = December 29, 1980
⚫
| birth_place = [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]], [[New Jersey]]
⚫
|predecessor1 = [[Charles R. Howell]]
⚫
| death_date = {{death date and age|1989|7|22|1918|7|26|mf=y}}
⚫
|successor1 = [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]]
⚫
| death_place = [[Bethesda, Maryland|Bethesda]], [[Maryland]]
|office2 = Member of the [[New Jersey General Assembly]] from [[Mercer County, New Jersey|Mercer County]]
⚫
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]
|term_start2 = 1950
⚫
|}}
|term_end2 = 1954
⚫
|birth_date = {{birth date|1918|7|26}}
⚫
|birth_place = [[Trenton, New Jersey]], U.S.
⚫
|death_date = {{death date and age|1989|7|22|1918|7|26}}
⚫
|death_place = [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], U.S.
|restingplace = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
⚫
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|education = [[Wake Forest University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
⚫
}}
'''Frank Thompson Jr.''' (July 26, 1918 – July 22, 1989) was an American politician. He represented {{ushr|New Jersey|4|}} in the [[United States House of Representatives]] as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] from 1955 to 1980, and was chairman of the [[United States House Committee on House Administration|House Administration Committee]] from 1976 to 1980.


He is one of seven federal politicians who were convicted in the [[Abscam]] case in 1980. As a result, he resigned from Congress and served two years in prison.
'''Frank Thompson, Jr.''' (July 28, 1918 – July 22, 1989) was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] [[politician]] from [[New Jersey]]. Thompson represented {{ushr|New Jersey|4|}} in the [[United States House of Representatives]] from 1955 to 1980. After 25 years in office, Thompson resigned in disgrace and was later convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges and sentenced to prison.


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Thompson was born in [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. He attended [[Wake Forest University]], from which he earned a degree in law from the Wake Forest School of Law.
Thompson was born in [[Trenton, New Jersey]]. He attended [[Wake Forest University]], from which he earned a degree in law from the [[Wake Forest University School of Law]].<ref name="NYTObit">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/24/obituaries/frank-thompson-70-career-in-congress-ended-with-abscam.html |title=Frank Thompson, 70; Career In Congress Ended With Abscam |work=The New York Times |date=1989-07-24}}</ref>


Following the outbreak of [[World War II]], Thompson put his legal career on hold to serve in the [[United States Navy]]. From 1941 to 1948, Thompson was on active duty. He received three combat decorations for distinguished service at [[Iwo Jima]] and [[Okinawa]]. After a few years of practicing law, Thompson returned to the military and from August 1950 to January 1952, commanded the [[United States Navy Reserve]] Battalion 4-68 completing a seventeen-month tour of active duty, on the staff of the commander, [[Eastern Sea Frontier]].
Following the outbreak of [[World War II]], Thompson put his legal career on hold to serve in the [[United States Navy]]. From 1941 to 1948 Thompson was on active duty. He received three combat decorations for distinguished service at [[Iwo Jima]] and [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]. After a few years of practicing law, Thompson returned to the military and from August 1950 to January 1952, commanded the [[United States Navy Reserve]] Battalion 4-68 completing a seventeen-month tour of active duty, on the staff of the commander, [[Eastern Sea Frontier]].


Between 1950 and 1954, Thompson was as a member of the [[New Jersey General Assembly]], serving as minority leader during his second term.
Between 1950 and 1954, he was a member of the [[New Jersey General Assembly]], serving as minority leader during his second term.<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


==Tenure in Congress==
In 1955, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in Congress. Thompson was a powerful liberal voice in the House. He was a ranking member of his party, serving as the chairman of the [[United States House Committee on House Administration|Committee on House Administration]] during his final three terms. From 1969 to 1971 he chaired the House Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials and during his tenure conducted the first ever comprehensive hearings into the operations of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. From 1975 to 1978, he also chaired the [[United States Congress Joint Committee on Printing|Joint Committee on Printing]].
In 1954, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in Congress. Thompson was a liberal voice in the House. He was also a strong supporter of [[John F. Kennedy]] and ran Kennedy's voter registration operations in the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 Presidential election]].<ref name="WaPoObit"/>


From 1969 to 1971, he chaired the House Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials and during his tenure conducted the first-ever comprehensive hearings into the operations of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]. From 1975 to 1978, he also chaired the [[United States Congress Joint Committee on Printing|Joint Committee on Printing]]. He sponsored legislation that created both the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] and the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]] and authored the legislation to establish the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]].<ref name="NYTObit"/>
In 1980, Thompson was one of six Congressmen who was implicated in the [[Abscam]] sting. His image was subsequently tarnished, and he lost a reelection bid. Thompson resigned his seat on December 29, 1980, several weeks after his defeat. In 1981, he was convicted on bribery and conspiracy charges, and sentenced to three years in prison. After his release, he quietly lived out his days in [[Alexandria, Virginia]]. He died in [[Bethesda, Maryland]].

He was a ranking member of his party, serving as the chairman of the [[United States House Committee on House Administration|Committee on House Administration]] during his final three terms.

===Abscam conviction===
In February 1980, Thompson was one of six Congressmen who were implicated in the [[Abscam]] sting.<ref name="NYTObit"/> Despite the charges, Thompson ran for re-election. He faced 27-year-old Republican [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]] whom he had easily dispatched in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30556|title=NJ District 4 Race|publisher=Our Campaigns|date=November 7, 1978|access-date=2017-09-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1978election.pdf|title=Statistics from the Congressional Election 1978|publisher=Clerk.house.gov|access-date=October 7, 2017}}</ref> The accusations weighed on the campaign and Smith defeated Thompson with 57% of the vote.<ref>[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=30577 NJ District 4 – 1980 Election], Our Campaigns; accessed October 6, 2013.</ref>

Although Thompson maintained his innocence, he was convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges on December 3, 1980. On December 29, 1980, he resigned from Congress. In 1981, an appeals court upheld his conviction and he received a sentence of three years in prison. He served two years at the [[Federal Medical Center, Lexington|federal prison in Lexington]] before he was granted parole in 1985.<ref name="WaPoObit">{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/07/24/nj-democrat-frank-thompson-dies/6d6a94d8-6a93-4c7d-99c2-e3b038b3669f/ |title=N.J. Democrat Frank Thompson Dies |newspaper=Washington Post| date=1989-07-24}}</ref>

==Later life==
After his release, he quietly lived out his days in [[Alexandria, Virginia]]. On July 20, 1989, he had surgery for esophageal cancer at [[Johns Hopkins Hospital]] in Baltimore, and died there on July 22, 1989, four days before his 71st birthday.<ref name="NYTObit"/> Thompson was survived by his wife, Evelina Van Metre Thompson who died in Washington D.C. on March 20, 2019, as well as his two daughters Anne Henderson and Nina Altschiller, and three granddaughters, Amy-Louise Parker, Janney Thompson Lyons and Gillian Elizabeth Lyons.

==See also==
* [[List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes]]
* [[List of federal political scandals in the United States]]

==References==
<references />


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/sq87bt61n Frank Thompson Papers] at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, [[Princeton University]]
*[http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/sq87bt61n Frank Thompson Papers] at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, [[Princeton University]]
{{CongBio|T000200}}
{{CongBio|T000200}}
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/thompson3.html#R9M0JF685 Frank Thompson, Jr.] at [[The Political Graveyard]]
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/thompson3.html#R9M0JF685 Frank Thompson Jr.] at [[The Political Graveyard]]


{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Charles R. Howell]]}}
{{USRepSuccessionBox
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States Representatives from New Jersey|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[New Jersey's 4th congressional district]]|years=1955–1980}}
| state= New Jersey
⚫
{{s-aft|after=[[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]]}}
| district= 4
|-
⚫
| before= [[Charles R. Howell]]
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Wayne Hays]]}}
⚫
| after= [[Chris Smith (New Jersey politician)|Chris Smith]]
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States House Committee on House Administration|House Administration Committee]]|years=1976–1980}}
⚫
| years= January 3, 1955 - December 29, 1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Lucien N. Nedzi]]}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Congress Joint Committee on Printing|House Printing Committee]]|years=1976–1977}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Howard Cannon]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Howard Cannon]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Congress Joint Committee on Printing|House Printing Committee]]|years=1979–1980}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Mathias]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}

{{US House Administration chairs}}
{{US House Administration chairs}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the New Jersey General Assembly]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
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[[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey]]
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[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Maryland]]
[[Category:Deaths from esophageal cancer in the United States]]
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[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey]]
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[[Category:Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly]]
[[Category:New Jersey lawyers]]
[[Category:New Jersey lawyers]]
[[Category:People from Alexandria, Virginia]]
[[Category:New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes]]
⚫
[[Category:Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Wake Forest University alumni]]
⚫
[[Category:Politicians convicted of illegal gratuities under 18 U.S.C. § 201]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of bribery under 18 U.S.C. § 201]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of bribery under 18 U.S.C. § 201]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States]]
[[Category:Abscam]]
[[Category:New Jersey politicians convicted of corruption]]
⚫
[[Category:Politicians convicted of illegal gratuities under 18 U.S.C. § 201]]
[[Category:New Jersey Democrats]]
[[Category:Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey]]
⚫
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Wake Forest University alumni]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of corruption in New Jersey]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:New Jersey politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:People convicted in the Abscam scandal]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives]]

Latest revision as of 23:47, 7 December 2024

For other people named Frank Thompson, see Frank Thompson (disambiguation).
Frank Thompson
Chair of the House Administration Committee
In office
June 18, 1976 – December 29, 1980
Preceded byWayne Hays
Succeeded byLucien N. Nedzi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1955 – December 29, 1980
Preceded byCharles R. Howell
Succeeded byChris Smith
Member of the New Jersey General Assembly from Mercer County
In office
1950–1954
Personal details
Born(1918-07-26)July 26, 1918
Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 1989(1989-07-22) (aged 70)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWake Forest University (BA, LLB)

Frank Thompson Jr. (July 26, 1918 – July 22, 1989) was an American politician. He represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1955 to 1980, and was chairman of the House Administration Committee from 1976 to 1980.

He is one of seven federal politicians who were convicted in the Abscam case in 1980. As a result, he resigned from Congress and served two years in prison.

Life and career

[edit]

Thompson was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He attended Wake Forest University, from which he earned a degree in law from the Wake Forest University School of Law.[1]

Following the outbreak of World War II, Thompson put his legal career on hold to serve in the United States Navy. From 1941 to 1948 Thompson was on active duty. He received three combat decorations for distinguished service at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After a few years of practicing law, Thompson returned to the military and from August 1950 to January 1952, commanded the United States Navy Reserve Battalion 4-68 completing a seventeen-month tour of active duty, on the staff of the commander, Eastern Sea Frontier.

Between 1950 and 1954, he was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, serving as minority leader during his second term.[2]

Tenure in Congress

[edit]

In 1954, he successfully ran as a Democrat for a seat in Congress. Thompson was a liberal voice in the House. He was also a strong supporter of John F. Kennedy and ran Kennedy's voter registration operations in the 1960 Presidential election.[2]

From 1969 to 1971, he chaired the House Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials and during his tenure conducted the first-ever comprehensive hearings into the operations of the Smithsonian Institution. From 1975 to 1978, he also chaired the Joint Committee on Printing. He sponsored legislation that created both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and authored the legislation to establish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[1]

He was a ranking member of his party, serving as the chairman of the Committee on House Administration during his final three terms.

Abscam conviction

[edit]

In February 1980, Thompson was one of six Congressmen who were implicated in the Abscam sting.[1] Despite the charges, Thompson ran for re-election. He faced 27-year-old Republican Chris Smith whom he had easily dispatched in 1978.[3][4] The accusations weighed on the campaign and Smith defeated Thompson with 57% of the vote.[5]

Although Thompson maintained his innocence, he was convicted of bribery and conspiracy charges on December 3, 1980. On December 29, 1980, he resigned from Congress. In 1981, an appeals court upheld his conviction and he received a sentence of three years in prison. He served two years at the federal prison in Lexington before he was granted parole in 1985.[2]

Later life

[edit]

After his release, he quietly lived out his days in Alexandria, Virginia. On July 20, 1989, he had surgery for esophageal cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and died there on July 22, 1989, four days before his 71st birthday.[1] Thompson was survived by his wife, Evelina Van Metre Thompson who died in Washington D.C. on March 20, 2019, as well as his two daughters Anne Henderson and Nina Altschiller, and three granddaughters, Amy-Louise Parker, Janney Thompson Lyons and Gillian Elizabeth Lyons.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Frank Thompson, 70; Career In Congress Ended With Abscam". The New York Times. 1989-07-24.
  2. ^ a b c "N.J. Democrat Frank Thompson Dies". Washington Post. 1989-07-24.
  3. ^ "NJ District 4 Race". Our Campaigns. November 7, 1978. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  4. ^ "Statistics from the Congressional Election 1978" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  5. ^ NJ District 4 – 1980 Election, Our Campaigns; accessed October 6, 2013.
[edit]
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from New Jersey's 4th congressional district
1955–1980 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Administration Committee
1976–1980 		Succeeded by
Chair of the House Printing Committee
1976–1977 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the House Printing Committee
1979–1980 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Frank_Thompson&oldid=1261790426"