LAW AND ORDER
Fred Thompson
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This article is about the politician and actor. For other people with similar names, see Frederick Thompson (disambiguation).
Fred Thompson
Fred Thompson.jpg
Chair of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee
In office
January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by Joe Lieberman
Succeeded by Joe Lieberman
In office
January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by Ted Stevens
Succeeded by Joe Lieberman
United States Senator
from Tennessee
In office
December 2, 1994 – January 3, 2003
Preceded by Harlan Mathews
Succeeded by Lamar Alexander
Personal details
Born Freddie Dalton Thompson
August 19, 1942
Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
Died November 1, 2015 (aged 73)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Sarah Knestrick
(m. 1959; div. 1985)
Jeri Kehn (m. 2002)
Children 5
Education University of Memphis (BA)
Vanderbilt University (JD)
Signature
Freddie Dalton Thompson[1][2][3] (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor and radio personality. Thompson, a Republican, served in the United States Senate representing Tennessee from 1994 to 2003, and was a Republican presidential candidate in 2008.
Thompson served as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board at the United States Department of State, was a member of the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and was a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence.[4][5][6]
As an actor, Thompson appeared in a number of movies and television shows including The Hunt for Red October, Die Hard 2, In the Line of Fire, and Cape Fear, as well as in commercials. He frequently portrayed governmental authority figures and military men.[7] In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the NBC television series Law & Order, playing Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch.[8]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career as an attorney
2.1 Role in Watergate hearings
2.2 Corruption case against Tennessee governor
3 Lobbyist
4 Acting career
5 Senate (1994–2003)
5.1 Two campaigns for U.S. Senate
5.2 Electoral history
5.3 Senate career
5.4 Campaign co-chairman for John McCain
5.5 Ratings
6 Career between Senate and presidential campaign (2003–2007)
6.1 Acting
6.2 Political work
6.3 Legal defense for Lewis Libby
6.4 Radio analyst
6.5 Columnist
7 2008 presidential campaign
8 After the campaign
8.1 Politics
8.2 Actor
8.3 Radio host
8.4 Advertising spokesman
8.5 Author
9 Political positions
10 Personal life
10.1 Marriages and children
10.2 Religion
10.3 Cancer and death
11 Filmography
11.1 Television
12 Book
13 See also
14 References
15 External links