Stephen Max "Steve" Thompson (born October 27, 1944) is a retired businessman and

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 ...

politician from the US state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

. He has been a member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people per ...

from District 2 in Fairbanks since 2011. He previously served as mayor of Fairbanks from 2001 to 2007.

Early life

Steve Thompson was born in Cottage Grove, Oregon. He attended Southern Oregon College from 1963 to 1965 before joining the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, where he attained the rank of sergeant. His last duty station was at

Fort Wainwright Fort Wainwright is a United States Army installation in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fort Wainwright is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the coterminous Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The installation is managed by U.S. Army Garrison ...

, adjacent to

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

. After being discharged from the Army, he remained in Fairbanks and went to work for a local business, M & O Auto Parts. Thompson eventually became the president and CEO of M & O, selling it to the Schuck's Auto Supply chain in 1999.

Political career

Thompson, retired from business, ran for the position of mayor of Fairbanks in 2001. The seat was open, as the incumbent, James C. Hayes, was term-limited. At the time, Thompson was manager of the Fairbanks lodge of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

. He defeated five other challengers, including two incumbent members of the city council,

Scott Kawasaki Scott Jiu Wo Kawasaki (born March 20, 1975) is an American healthcare professional and politician from Alaska. A Democrat, he is a member of the Alaska Senate representing the state's District A, which includes neighborhoods within the city lim ...

and Charlie Rex. Thompson was unopposed for re-election in 2004. In 2007, himself term-limited, Thompson ran for and won a seat on the city council. He resigned shortly thereafter, citing problems related to the illness and death of his wife, Janel. Thompson ran for another open seat, this time in the

, in 2010. The incumbent,

Jay Ramras Jay B. Ramras (born July 31, 1964) is an American businessman and politician. Ramras was a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, being elected to the 10th District in 2004, and served three terms. He served as Chair of the E ...

, ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor. In the primary, he defeated Vivian Stiver, a downtown Fairbanks merchant and city council member who ran unsuccessfully in 2007 to replace him as mayor, and 92-year-old Urban Rahoi, the owner of a large

mobile home park A trailer park,caravan park, mobile home park, mobile home community or manufactured home community is a temporary or permanent area for mobile homes and travel trailers. Advantages include low cost compared to other housing, and quick and ea ...

immediately outside of Fairbanks city limits and a

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

who first ran for a House seat from Fairbanks in 1962, running almost continuously for most of the period between the early 1970s and early 1990s. In the general election, he defeated John S. Brown, who had also unsuccessfully challenged Ramras in 2008. Thompson has served 5 consecutive terms since 2010 and is currently running for his 6th term in the

Personal life

Thompson's first wife, Janel, died of cancer. The Fairbanks North Star Borough named parkland adjacent to the Chena River after her. Thompson married his second wife, Kathleen, in 2009. He has 5 children: Todd, Scott, Natalie, Aaron, and Max. Todd, an employee of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, was heavily involved in the political battle in Fairbanks over eliminating emissions testing during the time his father served as mayor.

References

External links

Alaska State Legislature – Representative Steve Thompson
official government website
Steve Thompson
at ''100 Years of Alaska's Legislature'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Steve M. 1944 births 21st-century American politicians Alaska city council members Businesspeople from Fairbanks, Alaska Living people Mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives People from Cottage Grove, Oregon Southern Oregon University alumni United States Army soldiers