Fred Thompson

Fred Dalton Thompson was born on August 19, 1942 and graduated from Memphis State University, now University of Memphis, in 1964 with a double degree in philosophy and political science. He earned his law degree from Vanderbilt in 1967. From 1969 to 1972, Dalton served as an assistant U.S. attorney before becoming Republican Senator Howard Baker s re-election campaign manager in 1972.

Thompson garnered his first taste of the national spotlight when he was appointed to assist the Republican senators as minority council on the Senate Watergate Committee from 1973 to 1974. He was said to be instrumental in drafting some of the questions that lead to Nixon s downfall.

From 1975, Thompson acted as an attorney and lobbyist; an activity he pursued well into the 90 s. During the 1980 s, he also leant his expertise as Special Counsel to both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well as Tennessee s  Appellate Court Nominating Commission.

Thompson s acting career came about by accident in 1985, when director Roger Donaldson asked Thompson to play himself in Marie, a movie based on a case he had been involved in. He has had a steady career as a character actor, acting in movies such as No Way Out, The Hunt for Red October, Cape Fear and In the Line of Fire. He was also heavily involved in TV work, most especially in the Law and Order series, where he played New York City DA Arthur Branch from 2002 to 2007.

In 1994, Thompson was elected to finish out the remaining two years of Al Gore s Senate term and was re-elected in 1996. He served on the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and became chairman in 1997. He was an advocate for campaign finance reform, furthered government efficiency and accountability and opposed the proliferation of WMDs. In 2002, Thompson announced that he was not running for re-election and joined the cast of Law and Order.

After his career in the Senate, Thompson has served on many boards and commissions on both foreign affairs and national security, including as chairman of the U.S. Department of State s International Security Advisory Board. In 2006, he worked as a senior analyst and contributor for ABC Radio.

Although briefly considered as a contender for the VP spot for George W. Bush in 2000, Thompson did not re-enter the national spotlight in presidential politics until 2007, when he announced his intention to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. After a strong initial showing in the polls, support for Thompson slipped and his early primary performances were lackluster. This prompted him to withdraw in January, 2008.

He spoke at the Republican National Convention that year, praising and endorsing John McCain. In March 2009, Thompson took over the noontime Westwood One radio spot vacated by Bill O Reilly and introduced The Fred Thompson Show with wife and co-host Jeri. He has made no mention of a 2012 presidential run, but his choice to remain in a high profile position speaking on politics and current events indicates that it shouldn t be ruled out.