Former Democratic assemblyman Robert Thompson was born in Madison, Wisconsin on November 25, 1927. He grew up in Poynette, Wisconsin and graduated from Poynette High School in 1945. After graduation he worked as an electrician, a gunsmith, and a clerk for the Dekorra-Pacific School from 1952 to 1960.
In 1962 he became involved with the Executive Council of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress and was its Vice Chairman from 1963 to 1968. He quickly won a reputation for his environmental advocacy. In 1965 he became Chairman of the Columbia County Board of Adjustments and in 1968 he became the Chairman of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress.
In 1970 he was elected to the State Assembly, representing the 80th District. He was appointed Vice Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Quality and a member of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. In that role he dealt with such environmental concerns as solid waste disposal, air and water pollution control, and wildlife management and environmental education for Wisconsin youth. In 1971, he advocated for an Environmental Youth Education Center at Poynette and joined Governor Lucey's Council on Environmental Education, which closely cooperated with the state's educational curriculum to improve environmental education in schools.
During the same year, Thompson was also appointed a member of the Governor's Task Force on Education Financing and Property Tax. His focus moved from environmental education issues to public education funding problems. In 1971 Thompson and State Representative James W. Wahner (D-Milwaukee) introduced the Assembly Joint Resolution 76, also known as the Thompson-Wahner Resolution. This resolution was intended to transfer the cost of Elementary and Secondary Education from property tax to a more progressive form of state funding but it was unsuccessful.
