CHICAGO (WAND) - Former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson passed away Friday at the age of 84.
Thompson died shortly after 8 p.m. Friday at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab in downtown Chicago, his wife, Jayne Thompson told the Chicago Tribune.
Thompson was the longest serving governor in the state's history. The republican served as governor for 14 years from 1976 to 1991.
"The Thompson family is mourning the loss of a wonderful husband, father and grandfather," a statement from the family read. "Jim Thompson’s love and devotion to his family mirrored his lifelong dedication to his beloved State of Illinois. His guiding principle in public and private life was to help people and do what he could so they could have an opportunity to succeed. In that process, he achieved big things for Illinois that matched the life he lived."
Before he was elected, President Nixon appointed Thompson as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. Before then, he worked in the Cook County state's attorney's office.
One of his biggest achievements in office was orchestrating the deal that kept the Chicago White Sox on the South Side of the city, which led to the opening of Guaranteed Rate Field, then known as New Comiskey Park in the early 1990s.
Thompson drew wide praise for his bipartisan approach to the governorship, as well as his demeanor and kindness when interacting with fellow public officials and with constituents.
"There is nothing wrong with government anywhere that some simple honesty, openness and candor wont cure," Thompson said during his first inauguration speech. "If this had been the creed at every level of American government everywhere in the nation… public officials would not now be in prison, your taxes would not now be misspent, politics would not now be disgraced, the government would not now be mistrusted, apathy would not now reign."
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker praised Thompson for “setting an example for public service” in the state during his time in the executive’s chair.
“On behalf of the entire state of Illinois, MK and I offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of former Gov. Jim Thompson,” Pritzker said. “As the longest-serving governor in Illinois history, ‘Big Jim’ was known to treat people he encountered with kindness and decency. He dedicated himself to building positive change for Illinois, and he set an example for public service of which Illinoisans should be proud. He will be remembered and revered as one of the titans in the history of state government.”
