Floyd E. Thompson (December 25, 1887 – October 18, 1960) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Illinois The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

and a

criminal lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...

who defended American businessman

Samuel Insull Samuel Insull (November 11, 1859 – July 16, 1938) was a British-born American business magnate. He was an innovator and investor based in Chicago who greatly contributed to create an integrated electrical infrastructure in the United States ...

in 1934 against mail fraud and

antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

charges. Insull was acquitted.

Biography

Thompson, the son of Alonzo and Sarah (Edwards) Thompson, was born Christmas Day in 1887 on a farm in

Roodhouse, Illinois Roodhouse is a city in Greene County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,814 at the 2010 census, down from 2,214 at the 2000 census. Geography Roodhouse is located in northern Greene County at (39.482004, -90.371780). U.S. Route 67 p ...

. Thompson worked on the family farm while he was in school; after graduation, he spent three years working as a teacher. Thompson never attended university or law school, but he studied for the

bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associa ...

on his own, and in 1911, he was admitted to the bar of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. He established a

law practice In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professi ...

East Moline, Illinois East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,374 at the 2020 census. East Moline is part of the Quad Cities, along with the cities of Rock Island, Illinois, Rock Island, Moline, Illinois, Moline, and ...

, and also became publisher of the ''East Moline Herald''. In November 1912, he won election as

State's attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

for Rock Island County, Illinois. He was elected president of the Illinois State's Attorney's Association in December 1915, and easily won re-election as State's Attorney in November 1916. In 1919, a vacancy arose on the

when Justice George A. Cooke stepped down to become chief counsel of

Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company Peoples Gas (short for The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company) is a gas utility subsidiary of WEC Energy Group servicing the city of Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs. History Established in 1849, in Chicago, Illinois, The Peoples Gas ...

, and Thompson ran for this seat, winning election in April 1919. In June 1921, he won re-election to a full term. Thompson served on the Illinois Supreme Court until 1928, during which time he served as chairman of the

American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...

's Section of Criminal Law (1921–1923) and as vice-president of the American Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology. He was a charter member of the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. ...

upon its founding in 1923. In 1928, Thompson resigned from the Illinois Supreme Court to run for

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

on the Democratic ticket. He lost to Louis Lincoln Emmerson as part of the landslide 1928 victory of

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

and the

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Upon his defeat, Thompson became a

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

at Newman, Poppenhusen, Stern & Johnston, with the firm changing its name to Johnston, Thompson, & Raymond (today, the firm is known as Jenner & Block). During his time at the firm, Thompson served as lead counsel in what was arguably the most sensational prosecution of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

era, that of

, the president of

Commonwealth Edison Commonwealth Edison, commonly known by syllabic abbreviation as ComEd, is the largest electric utility in Illinois, and the in Chicago and much of Northern Illinois. Its service territory stretches roughly from Iroquois County on the south to ...

, whose share price had collapsed in 1929, wiping out the life savings of thousands of small investors. Insull was charged with mail fraud,

violations, and violation of the

Bankruptcy Act of 1898 The Bankruptcy Act of 1898 ("Nelson Act", July 1, 1898, ch. 541, ) was the first United States Act of Congress involving bankruptcy to give companies an option of being protected from creditors. Previous attempts at federal bankruptcy laws had ...

. There were ultimately three trials, and Insull was acquitted each time. He was president of the Illinois State Bar Association 1933–34. In 1949, during the prosecution of Preston Tucker (developer of the

1948 Tucker Sedan The Tucker 48, commonly referred to as the Tucker Torpedo, was an automobile conceived by Preston Tucker while in Ypsilanti, Michigan and briefly produced in Chicago, Illinois in 1948. Only 51 cars were made including their prototype before the c ...

) and six Tucker Corporation executives for violating the

securities laws Financial regulation is a form of regulation or supervision, which subjects financial institutions to certain requirements, restrictions and guidelines, aiming to maintain the stability and integrity of the financial system. This may be handled ...

, Thompson defended Floyd Cerf, the stockbroker who handled the allegedly illegal

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

offering for Tucker Corporation. Tucker, Cerf, and all the other defendants were ultimately acquitted on all charges.

References

Profile at "The Third Branch – A Profile of the Illinois Supreme Court"

History of Jenner & Block on Jenner & Block's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Floyd 1887 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 20th-century American judges Illinois Democrats People associated with Jenner & Block Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court