Mike Thompson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mike Thompson | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 6, 1999 |
|
| Preceded by | Frank Riggs |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Born | January 24, 1951 St. Helena, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Janet Thompson |
| Residence | St. Helena, California |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Michael C. Thompson (born January 24, 1951), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing California's 1st congressional district (map), which includes Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as parts of Yolo and Sonoma Counties.
He was born in St. Helena, California, was educated at California State University, Chico, served in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade United States Army, was a vineyard owner and maintenance supervisor, taught Public Administration and State Government at San Francisco State University and California State University, Chico and was a member of the California State Senate before entering the House.
He is married to Janet Thompson and has two sons. He is a Blue Dog Democrat and was previously a member of the New Democrat Coalition. Thompson is considered to be a California moderate with an independent streak. He is Roman Catholic. [1]
Contents |
[edit] Accomplishments
Thompson was the House sponsor of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which was signed in to law by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. The bill protected 275,830 acres (1,116.2 km²) of federal land as wilderness and 21 miles (34 km) of stream as a wild and scenic river, including such popular areas as the King Range and Cache Creek.[2] Thompson worked with Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein of California in the 5-year effort to pass the bill.
Though Thompson is a Roman Catholic, he is staunchly pro-choice. In May 2004, he, along with 47 other Catholic Congressmen, sent a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington to dissuade him from refusing Catholic Congressmen the sacraments, due to their pro-choice legislative voting. [3]. In February 2006, he was one of 55 Democratic Representatives who were Catholic who signed a "Statement of Principles," which affirmed a commitment to their faith, but said that they disagreed with the Church on some issues. They stated that on those issues, such as abortion rights, they would follow their conscience instead of the Church teachings. [4]
In late 2002, Thompson joined Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington and David Bonior of Michigan on a fact-finding trip to Iraq. During the trip, the lawmakers spoke to officials in Baghdad and residents in Basra. Presciently they expressed skepticism about the Bush administration's claims that Saddam was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.
On March 26, 2008, Muthanna Al-Hanooti, an official of a Michigan charity, was accused of underwiting three members of Congress to travel to Iraq, on behalf of Iraqi intelligence officials. McDermott's office was already organizing the trip when the charity offered to pay trip expenses. In 2002, the charity was fully vetted by the U.S. government. As with any group visiting Iraq, the congressmen obtained a license from the State Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.[1]
[edit] Committee Assignments
- House Ways and Means Committee
- Health Subcommittee
- Select Revenue Subcommittee
- House Intelligence Committee
- Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Human Analysis and Counterintelligence Subcommittee
- Community Management Subcommittee
- Co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucs
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson official House site
- Mike Thompson at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Federal Election Commission — Mike Thompson campaign finance reports and data
- On the Issues — Mike Thompson issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Mike Thompson campaign contributions
- Project Vote Smart — Representative Michael C. Thompson (CA) profile
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mike Thompson profile
- Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Mike Thompson voting record
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Frank Riggs |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 1st congressional district 1999–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Barry Keene |
California State Senator, 2nd District 1993-1999 |
Succeeded by Wesley Chesbro |
