OLD TOWN — "Big Jim" Thompson will get his due at the Chicago History Museum Monday evening, and the 81-year-old former Illinois governor is expected to attend.
"Remembering Gov. 'Big Jim' Thompson" might sound like a memorial, but it's an attempt to put Thompson's political career in perspective at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the museum, 1601 N. Clark St.
Thompson was the U.S. attorney before being elected governor in 1976. That was a two-year term as Illinois made the shift to so-called off-year elections staggered with the presidential campaigns, but he won re-election to four-year terms three times before stepping down in 1991.
Mark DePue, head of the Lincoln Presidential Library's Oral History Program, will moderate a panel discussion with former Thompson aides Deputy Gov. Jim Fletcher, press secretary David Gilbert, budget director Bob Mandeville and policy director Paula Wolff.
"Even in retirement, Gov. Thompson casts a long shadow. He was the state’s longest-serving governor, with a larger-than-life personality to match his 6-foot-6-inch frame," DePue said. "He was a skilled politician who seemed to relish every legislative battle and political challenge."
"Jim Thompson is a fascinating man and an important figure in Illinois history,” said Russell Lewis of the Chicago History Museum. “This dream panel of key people from his administration will offer provocative stories about the challenges he faced and the colorful way he did it."
Thompson went on to serve as chairman of the Winston & Strawn law firm from 1993 to 2006 and has held positions on many boards and commissions, including the national commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorism attacks.
