Thomas George "Tommy" Thompson (born November 19, 1941), a
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politicianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, was the
42nd Governor of WisconsinThe Governor of Wisconsin is the highest executive authority in the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The position was first filled by Nelson Dewey on June 7, 1848, the year Wisconsin became a state...
, after which he served as
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, concerned with health matters. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet...
. Thompson was a candidate for the
2008 U.S. Presidential ElectionThe United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls such as the Iowa Straw Poll. In 2011, Politico reported that he would run for the U.S Senate in
2012The 2012 United States Senate election in Wisconsin will take place on November 6, 2012 alongside a U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S...
.
Early life
Thompson was born in
Elroy, WisconsinElroy is a city in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Baraboo River and at the east end of the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail. The population was 1,578 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Elroy is located at ....
, where his father, Allan, owned and ran a gas station and country
grocery storeA grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
, and his mother, Julia, was a
teacherA teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. He is a former captain in the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and
United States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
, and holds a law degree from the
University of Wisconsin Law SchoolThe University of Wisconsin Law School is the professional school for the study of law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. The law school was founded in 1868.-Facilities:...
.
State Assembly
Thompson was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1966; he became the Assembly's assistant minority leader in 1973 and minority leader in 1981.[3] He was famous for aggressively utilizing parliamentary procedure to give his minority party some limited say in the legislative process. Since this use of procedure was invariably one of delay and obstruction, he soon received the nickname "Dr. No" by the frustrated majority.
Governor of Wisconsin
From 1987 to 2001, Thompson served as the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, having been elected to an unprecedented four terms. While serving as governor, he was elected Chairman of the
Midwestern Governors AssociationThe Midwestern Governors Association is a 501 nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together the Midwestern governors of states to work cooperatively on public policy issues of significance to the region. The MGA was created in December 1962 in Chicago, when articles of organization were...
in 1989 and 1990.
Thompson's initiatives during his 14 years as governor of
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
were his Wisconsin Works
welfare reformWelfare reform refers to the process of reforming the framework of social security and welfare provisions, but what is considered reform is a matter of opinion. The term was used in the United States to support the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act...
and
school choiceSchool choice is a term used to describe a wide array of programs aimed at giving families the opportunity to choose the school their children will attend. As a matter of form, school choice does not give preference to one form of schooling or another, rather manifests itself whenever a student...
programs. In 1990 Thompson pushed for the creation of the country's first parental school-choice program, allowing low-income Milwaukee families to send children to the private or
public schoolMilwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of 2007, it had an enrollment of 87,360 students, and as of 2006 employed 6,100 full-time and substitute teachers in 223 schools. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the 33rd largest in the United States by enrollment...
of their choice at taxpayer expense. He created the
BadgerCareBadgerCare is a health-care cost-reimbursement program created by former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson. It went into effect July 1, 1999, and was created to provide health-care coverage to Wisconsinites whose employers didn't provide it and who made too much money to be covered by...
program, designed to provide health coverage to those families whose employers don't provide health insurance but make too much money to qualify for
Medicaid Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
. Through the federal waiver program, Thompson helped replicate this program in several states when he became Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Thompson left office when he was appointed by President
George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
as HHS Secretary. He was a member of the
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
Board of DirectorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
and had an
AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
locomotiveA locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
named for him.
Health and Human Services Secretary
Thompson announced his resignation from HHS on December 3, 2004, and served until January 26, 2005, when the
SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed his successor, Michael O. Leavitt.
2008 Presidential campaign
After first announcing the formation of an
exploratory committeeIn the election politics of the United States, an exploratory committee is an organization established to help determine whether a potential candidate should run for an elected office. They are most often cited in reference to United States Presidential hopefuls, prior to the primaries.Exploratory...
in late 2006, Thompson announced his candidacy for the
2008 presidential electionThe United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
on April 1, 2007.
During a May 3, 2007, presidential debate at the
Ronald Reagan Presidential LibraryThe Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Center for Public Affairs is the presidential library and final resting place of Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. Designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates, the library is located in Simi Valley, California, about northwest of...
Thompson said in response to a question from moderator
Chris MatthewsChristopher John "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC...
that a private employer opposed to
homosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
should have the right to fire a gay worker. He said, "I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be." He called
CNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
the following morning to say he didn't hear the question correctly. He apologized, saying, "It's not my position. There should be no
discriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
in the workplace."
Thompson had stated he would drop out of the race if he did not finish either first or second in the
Ames straw pollThe Ames Straw Poll is a presidential straw poll taken by Iowa Republicans. It occurs in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University, on a Saturday in August of years in an election cycle in which the Republican presidential nomination seems to be undecided...
on August 11, 2007. Thompson finished sixth, with just 7% of the vote, despite the fact that some major contenders were not competing in the poll. On August 12, Thompson officially announced he would drop out of the race.
In October 2007, Thompson endorsed
Rudy GiulianiRudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
. Thompson told the Associated Press in a statement that "Rudy Giuliani has shown that he is a true leader. He can and will win the nomination and the presidency. He is America's mayor, and during a period of time of great stress for this country he showed tremendous leadership."
He then endorsed
Senator John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
after
GiulianiRudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
's withdrawal from the presidential race. However, in a New York Times article published October 11, 2008, Thompson is quoted in response to a question regarding whether he was happy with
McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's campaign as saying, "No. I don't know who is."
2010 Governor's race
Thompson announced on April 30, 2009 that he was considering a run for
Governor of
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
as a
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in 2010 against the then current governor,
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Jim DoyleJames Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
. This was just two days after Republican
Scott WalkerScott Kevin Walker is an American Republican politician who began serving as the 45th Governor of Wisconsin on January 3, 2011, after defeating Democratic candidate Tom Barrett, 52 percent to 47 percent in the November 2010 general election...
announced his run. Another Republican former Congressman,
Mark NeumannMark W. Neumann is a businessman and politician. He represented from 1995 to 1999. In 2010, Neumann lost a bid to become the Republican nominee for Governor of Wisconsin. Neumann is currently a candidate for U.S...
, had also announced he would run. The incumbent, Democrat
Jim DoyleJames Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
, announced in August 2009 that he would not seek re-election for a third term.
2010 Senate race
Thompson considered a run for the United States Senate seat held by
Russ FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
. A poll by Rasmussen Reports showed Thompson leading 47% to 43% over the Democratic Senator. A poll by
Public Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling is an American Democratic Party-affiliated polling firm based in Raleigh, North Carolina. PPP was founded in 2001 by businessman and Democratic pollster Dean Debnam, the firm's current president and chief executive officer...
put Feingold ahead, 47-44. On April 15, 2010, Thompson announced that he would not run for the United States Senate seat while delivering his keynote speech at the Tax Day Tea Party Rally in Madison.
2012 Senate Race
On September 19, 2011, Thompson officially launched his campaign to run for the Wisconsin senate seat vacated by Sen.
Herb KohlHerbert H. "Herb" Kohl is the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association team...
Private-sector career
Thompson is the President of
Logistics Health IncorporatedLogistics Health, Incorporated is an American corporation with corporate headquarters in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Logistics Health was founded to sell healthcare to government and commercial organizations. LHI has provided customized health care solutions supported by its national network of more...
. He is senior partner at Akin Gump, a Washington, D.C., law firm, and is a senior adviser at the consulting firm Deloitte and the chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Thompson taught a class in the fall of 2005 at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government on medical diplomacy.
Shortly after leaving his Bush Cabinet post, Thompson joined and served for two years on the board of directors of
Applied Digital SolutionsDigital Angel, Inc. develops global positioning satellite and radio frequency identification technology products for consumer, commercial, and government sectors worldwide...
, makers of the controversial
VeriChipVeriChip was the only Food and Drug Administration -approved human-implantable radio-frequency identification microchip. It was marketed by PositiveID, a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions, and it received United States FDA approval in 2004. Its manufacture and marketing were discontinued in...
: a glass-encapsulated RFID chip that can be injected into human flesh for various database-driven identification purposes.
Thompson currently serves on the Board of Directors for
Accordia Global Health Foundation and the board of Directors for Pure Bioscience Inc. (PURE.OB) and serves on the Board of Trustees of the non-profit,
Medical Missions for ChildrenMedical Missions for Children is an independent, non-profit organization that works to improve health outcomes of the world's critically ill children by providing individual telemedicine consultations and implementing education programs focused on narrowing the knowledge gap between healthcare...
and is the co-host for their television series,
Plain Talk About Health.
Thompson serves as a Senior Advisor of Capital Partners of McKinley Reserve, a Wisconsin corporation with ties to both
Hilbert, WisconsinHilbert is a village in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,089 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hilbert is located at ....
and
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
.
Medicare controversies
After leaving office, Thompson promoted changes to
MedicareMedicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
that some complained would benefit companies Thompson has a financial stake in (including Centene and the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions).
Additionally, while in office, Thompson was involved in a dispute over whether the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services had to share cost estimates to Congress for legislation that would create a prescription drug benefit. Critics accused HHS of downplaying the true cost of the law by $150 billion. CMS Administrator Tom Scully threatened to fire the actuary if he revealed to Congress his estimate. Investigators determined that the data was improperly hidden from Congress, but did not conclude whether laws had been broken.
Treatment of Ojibwa spearfishers
During his 1986 gubernatorial campaign, Thompson suggested abrogating the right of Wisconsin's
OjibwaThe Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
tribe to engage in traditional spearfishing. Once in office, Thompson called on the tribe to sell their rights to spearfish in off-reservation lakes and streams, which is guaranteed by treaties with the United States, for $42 million dollars to the
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior ChippewaThe Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are an Ojibwa Native American tribe, with an Indian reservation lying mostly in the Town of Lac du Flambeau in south-western Vilas County, and in the Town of Sherman in south-eastern Iron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
and $10 million to the
Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior ChippewaThe Sokaogon Chippewa Community, or the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Mole Lake Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located at in Mole Lake, Wisconsin, in Forest County near Crandon.The Mole Lake Indian...
. Thompson and anti-spearfishing organizations Protect Americans' Rights and Resources and Stop Treaty Abuse-Wisconsin tried unsuccessfully to challenge the 1983 "Voigt Decision" of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals—which prohibited Wisconsin from regulating fishing on Ojibwe land. The decision was upheld by the
Supreme Court of the United StatesThe Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in 1983. Thompson claimed that Native Americans' lives were in danger from protesters associated with PARR and STA if they continued spearfishing. In 1989, federal judge Barbara Crabb refused the request and chastised the state for attempting to avoid violence by punishing the Ojibwa, who had broken no laws, since it was violence by non-Native American protesters that was threatening.
Crabb issued an injunction against violent anti-spearfishing protests in 1991, and made it permanent in 1992. On May 20, 1991, the Thompson administration declared it would no longer attempt to appeal the 1983 Voight Decision.
Statements about Jews, Israel
In April 2007, Thompson was compelled to apologize for remarks he made about Jews and Israel during an address to an assembled crowd of Jewish social activists in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
On April 18, 2007, appearing before a conference organized by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Thompson made reference to his lucrative transition from public service to the private sector by stating: "You know that's sort of part of the Jewish tradition and I do not find anything wrong with that." After the conclusion of his address, Thompson was reportedly pulled aside privately by the RAC's
Rabbi David SapersteinDavid Saperstein is a rabbi, lawyer, and Jewish community leader. He has served as the director and chief legal counsel at the Union for Reform Judaism's Religious Action Center for more than 30 years. Saperstein succeeded Rabbi Richard G. Hirsch as leader of the Washington D.C.-based political...
, and then returned to the podium to issue a clarification, adding: "I just want to clarify something because I didn't (by) any means want to infer or imply anything about Jews and finances and things. What I was referring to, ladies and gentlemen, is the accomplishments of the Jewish religion. You've been outstanding business people and I compliment you for that."
Later, Thompson told
PoliticoThe Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
that his remarks could be blamed on fatigue and a persistent cold.
Thompson made a variety of other lesser gaffes, including referring to the Anti Defamation League as the fringe
Jewish Defense LeagueThe Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
, and to Israel bonds as "Jewish bonds". He also discussed his connections to politically conservative Israeli and Jewish leaders while speaking to the mostly left-leaning activist group.
Conference organizers avoided comment on the faux pas, instead praising Thompson's decision to appear before the group.
Politicizing of science
In 2001, early in his term as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Thompson's office rejected 19 of 26 people recommended for seats on the advisory board for the NIH developing nations unit, including a Nobel laureate, by the unit's director. In return, Thompson's office sent résumés for other scientists that Gerald Keusch, the director of the Fogarty International Center, described in an interview as "lightweights" with "no scientific credibility". Keusch relayed to the Nobel laureate,
Torsten WieselTorsten Nils Wiesel was a Swedish co-recipient with David H. Hubel of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for their discoveries concerning information processing in the visual system; the prize was shared with Roger W...
, that he was rejected for having "signed too many full-page letters in The New York Times critical of President Bush." This incident was cited by the advocacy group
Union of Concerned ScientistsThe Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit science advocacy group based in the United States. The UCS membership includes many private citizens in addition to professional scientists. James J...
as part of a report detailing their allegations of
politicization of scienceThe politicization of science is the manipulation of science for political gain. It occurs when government, business, or advocacy groups use legal or economic pressure to influence the findings of scientific research or the way it is disseminated, reported or interpreted. The politicization of...
under President George W. Bush's administration.
Electoral history
Pop Culture References
Thompson was indirectly referenced in the 2001 South Park episode "
How to Eat with Your Butt"How to Eat with Your Butt" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 75th episode of the series overall...
", in which Wisconsin couple Martha and Steven Thompson mistake Kenny McCormick for their son "Tommy" who due to "torsonic polarity syndrome" (TPS) has a butt where his face should be. Tommy turns out in the end to be Ben Affleck.
External links
Official sites
- Biography from the White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
- Logistics Health Incorporated
- U.S. Senate Campaign Website
Documentaries, topic pages and databases
- Federal Election Commission - Tommy G. Thompson (President) campaign finance reports
- On the Issues - Tommy Thompson issue positions and quotes
- PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer - Vote 2008: Tommy Thompson
- "Tommy Thompson and the Conservative Revolution"; primary source material compiled by the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society is simultaneously a private membership and a state-funded organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of North America, with an emphasis on the state of Wisconsin and the trans-Allegheny West...
- Tommy G. Thompson Collection, 1957-ongoing Special Collections & Archives, Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
(archive of materials donated by Thompson and others)
- Tommy G. Thompson Digital Collection Special Collections & Archives, Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
(online archive of photographs from the Thompson Collection)
Media coverage