Biography/History

Carl William Thompson, Democratic state senator of Wisconsin, was born on March 15, 1914, in Washington, D.C., and died on September 19, 2002 at the age of 88. Thompson's father died while he was a youth, leading his mother to return to her roots in Stoughton, Wisconsin, where she took a job teaching at Stoughton High School. Watching his mother struggle to get by on an hourly wage that fell significantly below that of male teachers has been cited as one of Thompson's major inspirations for entering politics. Following his graduation from Stoughton High School in 1932, Thompson attended Luther College in Iowa for a year before transferring to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in economics in 1936, soon followed by his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree in 1939. In 1966, he obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Over the course of his collegiate studies, he worked under Governor Phil La Follette, which may have been a motivating factor for his participation at the founding convention of the Progressive Party in 1934 as the youngest delegate.

During his early career as an attorney in the early 1940s, Thompson met his wife, then Marian L. Foster, daughter of the Reverend Lloyd E. Foster and Agnes A. (Hyatt) Foster, while she was studying under Max Otto and Carl Boholt at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Born on November 23, 1917, in Palatine, Illinois, Marian grew up in Syracuse, New York, and had a B.A. (1939) and an M.A. (1940) in philosophy from Mount Holyoke College before continuing her studies in Wisconsin. Thompson and Marian were married on October 3, 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Marian would come to acquire a reputation as a liberal and feminist activist who worked diligently in service to women's issues and political and social concerns. She died March 8, 2005, following a battle with Alzheimer's disease. The Thompsons had four daughters: Jane, Anne, Margaret, and Elizabeth.

From 1942 to 1946, Thompson served in the U.S. Army, working in military intelligence. Upon his homecoming, Thompson established a law practice in Stoughton and shortly thereafter began his government career as an alderman on the Stoughton City Council.

In 1948 Thompson extended his political aspirations from the local to the state level. He acted as a presidential elector, as well as a candidate for governor. He repeated his bid for candidacy in 1950. The platform of the Democratic Organizing Committee formed by Thompson, Gaylord Nelson, and others expressed fierce determination to forge the moribund Democratic Party into a fighting force against Joseph McCarthy and other Republican reactionaries. Although unsuccessful in securing the governorship, Thompson's campaigns have been recognized as one of the forces that rejuvenated the Wisconsin Democratic Party, identifying it for the first time as a proudly progressive organization.

Thompson continued his political career with service as a Democratic national committeeman extended from 1949 to 1956. He was first elected to the Wisconsin assembly in 1952, serving in the 1953 and 1957 sessions. Subsequently, he was elected to the Wisconsin senate in a 1959 special election to fill the unexpired term of newly elected Govenor Gaylord Nelson. Thompson retained his seat in the Wisconsin senate, representing the 16th district, up to 1984, when he decided not to run again. He served as a commissioner on the Labor and Industry Review Commission for another 6 years until 1991, at which point he retired from state service.

Timeline

1914	Born on March 15th in Washington, D.C.
1932	Graduates from Stoughton High School in Wisconsin
1934	Youngest delegate at the founding convention of the Progressive Party
1936	Receives B.S. degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
1939	Receives LL.B degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
1942	Marries Marian L. Foster on October 3rd
1942-1946	Serves with the U.S. Army during World War II in military intelligence
circa 1946	Establishes a law practice in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Begins his government career as an alderman on the Stoughton City Council
1948	Runs as a Democratic candidate for governor for the first time. Acts as presidential elector
1949-1956	Serves as a Democratic national committeeman
1950	Runs as a Democratic candidate for governor for the second time
1952	First elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly
1953-1959	Serves in the Wisconsin State Assembly
1959-1984	Elected to the Wisconsin State senate in Special Election to fill the unexpired term of newly elected Govenor Gaylord Nelson; remains in office until his retirement in 1984
1966	Receives a J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
2002	Dies on September 19th in Stoughton, Wisconsin