Fred Thompson | |
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United States Senator from Tennessee |
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In office December 2, 1994 – January 3, 2003 |
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Preceded by | Harlan Mathews |
Succeeded by | Lamar Alexander |
Chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee | |
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 |
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Preceded by | Joe Lieberman |
Succeeded by | Joe Lieberman |
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2001 |
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Preceded by | Ted Stevens |
Succeeded by | Joe Lieberman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Freddie Dalton Thompson August 19, 1942 Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. |
Died | November 1, 2015 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
(aged 73)
Cause of death | non-Hodgkin's lymphoma |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Sarah Knestrick (1959–1985) Jeri Kehn (2002–2015) |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater |
Memphis State University (B.A.) Vanderbilt University (J.D.) |
Religion | Churches of Christ |
Fred Dalton Thompson (born Freddie Dalton Thompson; August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, film and television actor, and radio host. Thompson, a Republican, served in the United States Senate representing Tennessee from 1994 to 2003, and was a GOP presidential candidate in 2008.
Thompson served as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board at the United States Department of State, was a member of the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence.
As an actor, Thompson appeared in a number of movies and television shows as well as in commercials. He frequently portrayed governmental figures. In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch.
Thompson was born in Sheffield, Alabama on August 19, 1942, the son of Ruth Inez (née Bradley) and Fletcher Session Thompson (born Lauderdale County, Alabama, August 26, 1919, died Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, May 27, 1990), who was an automobile salesman. Thompson had English and distant Dutch ancestry. He attended public school in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, graduating from Lawrence County High School, where he played high school football. Thereafter, he worked days in the local post office, and nights at the Murray bicycle assembly plant.