William Thompson (New York)

Bill Thompson
Democratic Nominee Bill Thompson campaigning on primary day.
42nd New York City Comptroller
In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009
Preceded by	Alan Hevesi
Succeeded by	John Liu
Personal details
Born	William Colridge Thompson, Jr. (1953-07-10) July 10, 1953 (age 63) Brooklyn, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Elsie McCabe Thompson
Children	Jennifer Thompson
Residence	Harlem, New York City
Alma mater	Tufts University
Religion	Episcopalian

William Colridge "Bill" or "Billy" Thompson, Jr. (born July 10, 1953) is an American politician who was the 42nd Comptroller of New York City. Sworn into office on January 1, 2002, he was reelected to serve a second term that began on January 1, 2006. He did not seek re-election in 2009, instead running for mayor, and was succeeded as comptroller by John Liu.

Thompson ran unsuccessfully in the 2009 election for Mayor of New York as the nominee of the Democratic and Working Families parties, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the 2013 election for mayor.

Thompson was born and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. He is the son of Elaine Thompson, a New York City public-school teacher, and William C. Thompson, Sr., formerly a prominent Brooklyn Democratic Party leader, City Councilman, State Senator and judge on New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division. His grandparents immigrated to New York City from St. Kitts in the Caribbean. Thompson attended Midwood High School, a public school in Brooklyn, and graduated from Tufts University in 1974.

Upon his graduation from Tufts in 1974 until 1982, Thompson served as special assistant and chief of staff to former Brooklyn Democratic Rep. Fred Richmond, who pleaded guilty to income tax evasion, marijuana possession and making an illegal payment to a government employee and who resigned his seat pursuant to a plea agreement in 1982. Later, Thompson became the youngest Brooklyn Deputy Borough President. As Deputy to Borough President Howard Golden, Thompson was Golden's designee to the New York City Board of Estimate. Following the Crown Heights riots, Thompson worked to fix the racial divide that had paralyzed Brooklyn. In 1993, Thompson moved to the private sector for one year, taking a position as senior vice president of the investment firm George K. Baum & Co.