Robert Thompson (November 25, 1927 – June 1, 1999) was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

Biography

Thompson was born in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. He graduated from

Poynette High School Poynette High School is a secondary school in Poynette, Wisconsin Poynette is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,590 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History P ...

Poynette, Wisconsin Poynette is a village in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,590 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Poynette was named after Pierre Paquette (1796–1836), an early fu ...

. Later, he joined the

United States Marshals Service The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

. As a U.S. marshal, Thompson was in charge of law enforcement at

Fort McCoy, Wisconsin Fort McCoy is a United States Army installation on between Sparta and Tomah, Wisconsin, in Monroe County. In 1909, there were two separate camps named Camp Emory Upton and Camp Robinson; in 1926, these camps were joined together to form Camp M ...

in 1980, when it was used as an

internment camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

for Cuban refugees admitted as part of the

Mariel boatlift The Mariel boatlift () was a mass emigration of Cubans who traveled from Cuba's Mariel Harbor to the United States between 15 April and 31 October 1980. The term "" (plural "Marielitos") is used to refer to these refugees in both Spanish and En ...

. Thompson was married with one child. He died on June 1, 1999 after suffering a heart attack while watching a softball game.

Political career

Thompson was first elected to the Assembly in 1970 as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. After serving as Sergeant at Arms of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

from 1975 to 1978, Thompson was again elected to the Assembly in 1982. Additionally, he became Chairman of

Dekorra, Wisconsin Dekorra is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. History Native American Indians originally lived in the area. The town was laid out in 1836 when settlers from Kentucky came to the area ...

in 1981 and a member of the

Columbia County, Wisconsin Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,490. Its county seat and largest city is Portage. The county was created in 1846 as part of Wisconsin Territory. Columbia County i ...

Board in 1982. In 1990, Thompson ran for

Secretary of State of Wisconsin The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second (behind the Lieutenant Governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wiscon ...

as a

Republican 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 ...

, losing to incumbent

Doug La Follette Douglas J. La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental scientist, and politician. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and the longest-serving statewide elected official (excluding U.S. senato ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Robert Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin People from Columbia County, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Democrats United States Marshals 1927 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American politicians