James M. Thomson (Virginia)

James McIlhany Thomson
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 5th district
In office January , 1955 – January , 1977
Preceded by	Armistead L. Boothe
Succeeded by	Robert Bloxom, Jr.
Personal details
Born	August 9, 1924 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	July 24, 2001 Berryville, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Alexandria, Virginia
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute University of Virginia School of Law
Profession	Lawyer
Religion	Episcopalian

James McIlhany Thomson (August 9, 1924 – July 24, 2001) was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing Alexandria, Virginia from 1956 – 1977. A member of the Byrd Organization, Thomson became Democratic Floor Leader of the House from 1968 until his retirement in 1977.

James M. Thomson was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 9, 1924. He was named after his uncle James M. Thomson, the renowned editor of the New Orleans States-Item, who once encouraged U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd to run for president against Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thomson attended St. James Episcopal School in Hagerstown, Maryland, then served in the United States Marine Corps in World War II. In 1946 he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute, and in 1950 received a law degree from the University of Virginia.

Thomson was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1955 from Alexandria, Virginia as the previous delegate, Armistead L. Boothe won a seat in the Virginia Senate (this election was the first in which the seat from the growing city was assigned a district). He thus began his part-time public service during the era of Massive Resistance to racial desegregation of public schools as required by the 1954 and 1955 decisions in Brown v. Board of Education. Unlike Boothe, Thomson worked to support segregation, in part because his sister Gretchen Bigelow Thomson had married Harry F. Byrd Jr., the son and heir apparent to Senator Harry F. Byrd, who had declared the Massive Resistance policy in February 1956.

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