[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 156 (Thursday, September 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5542-S5543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING JIM THOMPSON

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1978, I was the Democratic nominee for 
Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, running with Michael Bakalis, the 
Democratic nominee for governor. We squared off against a ticket headed 
by six-foot-six Governor Big Jim Thompson. Big Jim was 40 years old and 
a relatively new Governor, only elected 2 years earlier. Bakalis and I 
were underdogs, but we were hopeful. We shouldn't have been.
  Our fate was sealed when Jim and Jayne were joined by their beautiful 
daughter Samantha right after Labor Day. Election day came, and we were 
clobbered. We found out what many Democrats would learn over the years. 
Big Jim was hard as hell to beat. Why? He may have campaigned as a 
partisan, but he governed in bipartisanship. His talent for working to 
get things done helped make him the longest serving Governor in 
Illinois history.
  Last month, Jim passed away. I was honored to call him a friend and, 
today, I would like to pay tribute to his life.
  James Robert Thompson, Jr. was born on the West Side of Chicago in 
1936. Jim was known to be shy but ambitious. He listed his ambition as 
``President-Politician'' in his yearbook. In one classmate's yearbook, 
he wrote ``Jim Thompson, Pres. of U.S. 1984-1992.''
  Jim attended the University of Illinois at its campus on Navy Pier in 
Chicago. He transferred to Washington University in St. Louis in his 
junior year and attended law school at Northwestern in 1959.
  In 1961, Jim worked for the Cook County State's attorney and argued 
two cases before the United States Supreme Court. He also joined 
Northwestern University Law School as an assistant professor.
  For 5 years, Jim taught at Northwestern, inspiring many students to 
pursue criminal law. In 1969, he became the head of the criminal 
division of the U.S. Attorney's office. As fate would have it, he was 
the lecturer on criminal procedure in my bar review course. In 1971, 
President Richard Nixon appointed him to be the U.S. Attorney for the 
Northern District of Illinois.
  At the age of 35, Jim was a crusader against corruption in both 
parties, leading investigations against Chicago aldermen and Vice 
President Spiro Agnew. His efforts made him look like a political 
outsider--just what Illinois

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was looking for in a Governor. Jim decided to run for Governor in the 
1976 election. During that campaign, he married his wife Jayne.
  He won the gubernatorial race as the first candidate in the State 
ever to garner 3 million votes. Though he would have a close election 
in 1982, Big Jim never lost a race.
  As Governor, he accomplished a lot of good for the State of Illinois. 
He spurred the construction of more highways than any other Governor. 
His ``Build Illinois'' plan launched a $2.3 billion infrastructure 
effort that helped turn the State into a national leader in economic 
development, historic preservation, and environmental protection.
  There are too many projects to name that Jim championed through the 
State legislature. He helped bring about Navy Pier's renovation, making 
it the State's top tourist destination. When the Chicago White Sox were 
on the verge of leaving Chicago for Florida, he fought hard to keep 
them. Jim was working the votes well into the night, and the White Sox 
got their new stadium. He supported the legislation that paved the way 
for the Chicago Bulls' arena, the United Center.
  When Republicans in the Illinois House sought to make Illinois a 
right-to-work State, Jim called local beer distributors in Springfield 
and had them set up on the lawn of the Governor's mansion, where he 
invited protesting labor members to have a drink. The right-to-work 
legislation never passed.
  In 1989, Jim decided against running for a fifth term. He had guided 
the State through a recession and helped rebuild it. He made countless 
deals with people of both parties. Jim could have coasted on the 
reputation he had built, but he didn't. He joined the law firm Winston 
& Strawn, and within 2 years, he was chairman and had made the firm a 
powerhouse. Jim also continued to serve his country as he was part of 
the 9/11 Commission, he chaired the Illinois Sports Facilities 
Authority, and he argued several cases before the Illinois Supreme 
Court. He retired in 2015.
  Jim Thompson never hesitated to work with the other side for a 
greater good. We were political adversaries, yet we also were personal 
friends. Sure, we disagreed on quite a bit, but we always worked 
together for the State of Illinois. Loretta and I send our thoughts and 
prayers to Jayne and their daughter Samantha.

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