Vernon Wallace Thomson (November 5, 1905 – April 2, 1988) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 34th Governor of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

from 1957 to 1959.

Early life and education

Vernon Thomson was born in

Richland Center, Wisconsin Richland Center is a city in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States that also serves as the county seat. The population was 5,114 at the 2020 census. History Richland Center was founded in 1851 by Ira Sherwin Hazeltine, a native of Andover, Ve ...

. He attended what is now

Carroll University Carroll University is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Established in 1846, Carroll was Wisconsin's first four-year institution of higher learning. History Prior to its esta ...

, in 1925, but graduated from what is now the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, in 1927, where he was a member of the

Chi Phi Fraternity Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...

. In 1932, he received his law degree and practiced law.

Career

Vernon Wallace Thomson (1905-1988) (8276634634) (1)

Thomson became involved in the Republican Party. He was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Richland Center from 1944 to 1951 and 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, ...

from 1935 to 1951, and served as Speaker of the Assembly from 1939 to 1945. He served as

Attorney General of Wisconsin The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, ...

from 1951 to 1957. In 1956, he was elected governor of Wisconsin, defeating

William Proxmire Edward William Proxmire (November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989. He holds the record for being the longest-servi ...

; he was defeated for reelection as governor in 1958 by

Gaylord Nelson Gaylord Anton Nelson (June 4, 1916July 3, 2005) was an American politician and environmentalist from Wisconsin who served as a United States senator and governor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the founder of Earth Day, which launche ...

In 1960, he was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

representing

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, as well as many Wisconsin-based exurbs of the Minneap ...

. He served in the 87th and was reelected to the six succeeding congresses. He was defeated for reelection in 1974, losing to

Alvin Baldus Alvin James Baldus (April 27, 1926 – February 2, 2017) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of Congress for Wisconsin from 1975 to 1981 as well as two tenures as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1966–1975 and ...

. He resigned before the official end of his term, overall serving from January 3, 1961 till December 31, 1974. Thomson was a member of the

Federal Elections Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Camp ...

. Thomson died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and was buried in

.Thomson, Vernon W. 1905
Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on 2016-01-22.

Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Vernon Wallace 1905 births 1988 deaths Governors of Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin Attorneys General Mayors of places in Wisconsin People from Richland Center, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni University of Wisconsin Law School alumni Members of the Federal Election Commission Washington, D.C., Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Republican Party governors of Wisconsin 20th-century American politicians Burials in Wisconsin Ford administration personnel Carter administration personnel Reagan administration personnel