Oil on canvas, by Scaisbrooke L. Abbot, 1980
Location: courtroom, rear
Born November 6, 1915 in Chatham, Virginia
Died June 11, 2011 in Chatham, Virginia
Elected by the General Assembly on January 28, 1980 to a 12-year term beginning February 1, 1980, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Alexander Marrs Harman, and began his service on February 19, 1980. Service terminated by retirement.
Education:
Attended Hampden-Sydney College, 1936-1939
University of Virginia, LL.B., 1939
Other judicial service:
Judge, Twenty-Second Judicial Circuit, 1973-1980
Professional career:
Assistant state attorney general, 1941-1943, 1946-1947
Commonwealth’s attorney, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, 1948-1955
Virginia state delegate, 1960-1966
Virginia state senator, 1968-1971
Member, Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government
Military service:
World War II (Navy)
Further reading/Research collections
Sources:
Elected, “Thompson Gets Va. High Court Judge’s Post,” Washington Post 1974-Current File [Washington, D.C.], January 29, 1980: C3, and Journal of the House of Delegates of Virginia, 1980 Session, 299; qualified, 220 Va., iii, v; retired, 225 Va., iii; birth, education, and career, transcript of portrait presentation on November 1, 2005, published in 271 Va., ix-xii; and “Justice Thompson Retiring,” Virginia Bar News, v. 33 (1983), No. 8, p. 42; attended Hampden-Sydney for three years and transferred to the University of Virginia, transcript of oral history with Carrington Thompson on November 14, 2007, Supreme Court of Virginia Archives, Virginia State Law Library, p. 8; portrait, Library of Virginia portrait files.