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Thompson was reared on a farm near [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] in Ouachita Parish in northeast Louisiana. She graduated in 1964 from Neville High School in Monroe and received her [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[government]] from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. She procured a [[Master of Business Administration]] degree from [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111144243/http://www.parlouisiana.org/s3web/1002087/docs/Constitutional%20Amendment%20Archive/CA1979_Sept.pdf|title=Sandra S. Thompson|page=14|publisher=Parlouisiana.org|accessdate=April 20, 2019}}</ref>

Thompson was reared on a farm near [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]] in Ouachita Parish in northeast Louisiana. She graduated in 1964 from Neville High School in Monroe and received her [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[government]] from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond. She procured a [[Master of Business Administration]] degree from [[Louisiana State University]] in [[Baton Rouge]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111144243/http://www.parlouisiana.org/s3web/1002087/docs/Constitutional%20Amendment%20Archive/CA1979_Sept.pdf|title=Sandra S. Thompson|page=14|publisher=Parlouisiana.org|accessdate=April 20, 2019}}</ref>

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Her career in state government began in the 1970s when she worked in the office of then Secretary of State Wade Ober  Martin, Jr.  She was named director of the Atchafalaya Basin Division of the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. in 1978, Thompson was dismissed from the Department Culture, Recreation and Tourism in 1978 because of disputes with her undersecretaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LSWI-0231-02_InDepth|title=Dismissal of Sandra Thompson (1978)|publisher=Ladigitalmedia.org|accessdate=April 20, 2019}}</ref> The lieutenant governor now heads the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. The Atchafalaya project, which encompassing a million acres, is the largest bottomland swamp in [[North America]].

Her career in state government began in the 1970s when she worked in the office of then Secretary of State Wade Ober  Martin, Jr.  She was named director of the Atchafalaya Basin Division of the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. In 1978, Thompson was dismissed from the Department Culture, Recreation and Tourism in 1978 because of disputes with her undersecretaries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ladigitalmedia.org/video_v2/asset-detail/LSWI-0231-02_InDepth|title=Dismissal of Sandra Thompson (1978)|publisher=Ladigitalmedia.org|accessdate=April 20, 2019}}</ref> The lieutenant governor now heads the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. The Atchafalaya project, which encompassing a million acres, is the largest bottomland swamp in [[North America]].

After Thompson left the Atchafalaya program, she ran unsuccessfully as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] for secretary of state. The position became open when Wade Martin's successor, Paul Jude Hardy, then of St. Martinville, ran  unsuccessfully for [[governor]]. Nine years later, Hardy was elected lieutenant governor in 1988. Thompson went into a [[general election]] with fellow Democrat, then state Senator James Harvey "Jim" Brown, then of Ferriday in Concordia Parish. She had a considerable lead in the nonpartisan blanket primary but fell unexpectedly short in the second round of balloting.​ In the primary, Thompson polled 504,808 votes (40.8 percent) to Brown's 391,849 ballots (31.7 percent). An [[African American|African-American]] candidate, Ben Jeffers, received 253,764 votes (20.5 percent). [[Republican Party|Republican]] candidate Dick Bruce, a then [[New Orleans]] advertising executive born in 1924 who stressed tourism and international trade, polled 85,870 votes (6.9 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 6, 1979.</ref>  In 1971, Bruce had run unsuccessfully in the race to succeed Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock.<ref>''Minden Press-Herald'', November 6, 1971.</ref>​

After Thompson left the Atchafalaya program, she ran unsuccessfully as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] for secretary of state. The position became open when Wade Martin's successor, Paul Jude Hardy, then of St. Martinville, ran  unsuccessfully for [[governor]]. Nine years later, Hardy was elected lieutenant governor in 1988. Thompson went into a [[general election]] with fellow Democrat, then state Senator James Harvey "Jim" Brown, then of Ferriday in Concordia Parish. She had a considerable lead in the nonpartisan blanket primary but fell unexpectedly short in the second round of balloting.​ In the primary, Thompson polled 504,808 votes (40.8 percent) to Brown's 391,849 ballots (31.7 percent). An [[African American|African-American]] candidate, Ben Jeffers, received 253,764 votes (20.5 percent). [[Republican Party|Republican]] candidate Dick Bruce, a then [[New Orleans]] advertising executive born in 1924 who stressed tourism and international trade, polled 85,870 votes (6.9 percent).<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, November 6, 1979.</ref>  In 1971, Bruce had run unsuccessfully in the race to succeed Lieutenant Governor Clarence C. "Taddy" Aycock.<ref>''Minden Press-Herald'', November 6, 1971.</ref>​