Fletcher Thompson
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| Fletcher Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fletcher Thompson |
| State | Georgia |
| District | GA, 5, 5th |
| Term start | January 3, 1967 |
| Term end | January 3, 1973 |
| Predecessor | Charles L. Welther |
| Successor | Andrew Young |
| Office1 | Member of the Georgia House of Representatives |
| Term start1 | 1965 |
| Term end1 | 1967 |
| Birth date | 5 February 1925 |
| Birth place | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Death date | 23 July 2022 |
| Death place | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mary Ellen Thompson |
| Education | Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University (LLB) |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Serviceyears | 1943–1946 |
| Battles | World War II |
Fletcher Thompson was an American attorney and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he represented the state's 5th congressional district for three terms during a period of significant political realignment in the American South. His tenure in Congress was marked by a conservative voting record and involvement in key national issues of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Early life and education
He was born on February 5, 1925, in Atlanta, Georgia. Following his graduation from high school, he served in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he pursued higher education at the Georgia Institute of Technology before earning a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Emory University School of Law. His early professional life was dedicated to establishing a legal practice in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Legal and political career
Admitted to the State Bar of Georgia, he built a successful career as an attorney in Atlanta. His initial foray into politics came with his election as a Republican to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1964, a significant achievement in a state then dominated by the Democratic Party. His service in the Georgia General Assembly from 1965 to 1967 provided a platform for his subsequent campaign for federal office, capitalizing on growing Republican strength in the Southern United States.
Congressional tenure
He was elected to the 90th United States Congress in 1966, defeating Democratic incumbent Charles L. Welther. During his service in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973, he was a member of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics and the House Committee on the Judiciary. He compiled a consistently conservative record, opposing much of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislation and supporting the Vietnam War policies of both Johnson and President Richard Nixon. He was a signatory to the 1970 Conservative Manifesto and gained national attention for his role in the 1972 hearings regarding the proposed American SST program.
Later life and death
After choosing not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 1972, he made an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Herman Talmadge, losing in the general election to Sam Nunn. He returned to his private law practice in Atlanta and remained active in civic and Republican party affairs. He died on July 23, 2022, in Atlanta at the age of 97.
Electoral history
* 1966 election for Georgia's 5th congressional district: Defeated Democratic incumbent Charles L. Welther. * 1968 election for Georgia's 5th congressional district: Re-elected. * 1970 election for Georgia's 5th congressional district: Re-elected. * 1972 election for United States Senate from Georgia: Lost in the general election to Democrat Sam Nunn.
Category:1925 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans Category:Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers