Tommy Thompson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 2001 | |
| President of the University of Wisconsin System | |
| In office July 1, 2020 – March 18, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Raymond W. Cross |
| Succeeded by | Jay Rothman |
| 19th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| In office February 2, 2001 – January 26, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Donna Shalala |
| Succeeded by | Mike Leavitt |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office August 1, 1995 – July 16, 1996 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Dean |
| Succeeded by | Bob Miller |
| 42nd Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 5, 1987 – February 1, 2001 | |
| Lieutenant | Scott McCallum |
| Preceded by | Tony Earl |
| Succeeded by | Scott McCallum |
| Minority Leader of the Wisconsin State Assembly | |
| In office December 17, 1981 – January 5, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | John C. Shabaz |
| Succeeded by | Betty Jo Nelsen |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 42nd district | |
| In office January 2, 1967 – January 5, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Louis C. Romell |
| Succeeded by | Ben Brancel |
| Constituency | Adams–Juneau–Marquette district (1967–1973) 79th district (1973–1983) 87th district (1983–1985) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tommy George Thompson November 19, 1941 Elroy, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Sue Mashak (m. 1968) |
| Relatives | Ed Thompson (brother) |
| Education | University of Wisconsin–Madison (BA, JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Wisconsin Army National Guard United States Army Reserve |
| Years of service | 1966–1972 (ARNG) 1972–1976 (USAR) |
| Rank |  Captain |
Tommy George Thompson (born November 19, 1941) is an American politician from Juneau County, Wisconsin. He served as the 19th United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005 in the cabinet of President George W. Bush. Before that, he was the 42nd governor of Wisconsin (1987–2001) and Republican floor leader in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1981–1987).
He is the longest-serving governor in Wisconsin history, holding office from January 1987 until February 2001, and is the only person to be elected to the office four times. During his tenure as governor he was also chair of Amtrak, the nation's passenger rail service. He was chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 1991 and 1992, and the National Governors Association in 1995 and 1996. After his time in the Bush Administration, Thompson became a partner in the law-firm Akin Gump and Independent Chairman of Deloitte's Center for Health Solutions. He has served on the boards of 22 other organizations.[1] Thompson most recently served as interim president of the University of Wisconsin System from 2020 to 2022.[2][3]
Thompson was a candidate for President of the United States, running in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, but withdrew from the race before voting began.[4] He was the Republican nominee for United States Senate in Wisconsin in the 2012 election, vying to replace retiring senator Herb Kohl, but was defeated by Democrat Tammy Baldwin in what was his only statewide election loss.[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PolitiFactwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Meyerhofer, Kelly (June 20, 2020). "Former governor Tommy Thompson named interim UW System president". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Former Governor Tommy G. Thompson to serve as UW System Interim President". UW. June 19, 2020.
- ^ Falcone, Michael (August 12, 2007). "Tommy Thompson Bows Out of Race". The New York Times.
- ^ "Tommy Thompson breaks silence on election; Invites 12 News reporter into Elroy home". WISN-TV. March 7, 2013.