Changes

|preceded=[[Benny Gay Christian]]

|office2=Louisiana State Senator for <br> Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Ouachita, Richland, and Tensas parishes|term_start2=January 2008

|succeeded2=Katrina Renee Jackson|office3=Louisiana State Representative|term_start3=January 13, 2020|term_end3=|preceded3=Charles "Bubba" Chaney

'''Francis Coleman Thompson''' (born October 29, 1941)[1] <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mylife.com/francis-thompson/e820551711210|title=Francis Thompson|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref> is a wealthy developer from Delhi in Richland Parish, [[Louisiana]]. He srved , who served as a senior [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] member of the Louisiana House of Representatives state representative from 1975 until 2007. Because Then by virtue of state term limits, Thompson was ineligible to have sought a ninth four-year term in the nonpartisan blanket [[primary ]] held on October 20, 2007. In 2019, Thompson was elected once again to the state House. In the interim between 2008 and 2020, he was a state senator.

Instead==More than 50 years in politics==In March 2023, Thompson was announced that after fifty years as an elected outright over two fellow Democrats Democrat he was switching his party affiliation to [[Republican Party|Republican]] because he disagrees with the District 34 seat leftist tilt of his former party. Thompson's switch gives the GOP a supermajority in the Louisiana State Senate vacated by House with 70 of the also term105 seats. However, twenty-limited Charles Jones (born 1950) three ofthe Republicans often side with the Democrats. The [[radio]] commentator [[Moon Griffon]] calls the twenty-three the [[Monroe, Louisiana|MonroeRepublican Fraud Squad]]. Thompson received 13,763 votes (51 percent) to 10,937 (42 percent) for African-American State Representative Willie Hunter, Jr<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www., of Monroe and 2,113 (8 percent) for Paxton J. Branchthenewsstar.com/story/news/2023/03/16/republicans-gain-super-majority-in-louisiana-legislature-without-election/70018803007/|title=Thompson party flip gives Republicans super majority in Louisiana Legislature|author=[2[Greg Hilburn]Ten days after he vacated the seat to Thompson, Charles Jones was charged with two counts of making and subscribing a false federal income tax return and one count of tax evasion.]|publisher=''[3[Monroe News Star]]''|date=March 16, 2023|accessdate=March 17, 2023}}</ref>

Instead, Thompson was elected outright over two fellow Democrats to the District 34 seat in the Louisiana State Senate vacated by the also term-limited Charles Jones (born 1950) of [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]]. Thompson received 13,763 votes (51 percent) to 10,937 (42 percent) for [[African-American]] State Representative Willie Hunter, Jr., of Monroe and 2,113 (8 percent) for Paxton J. Branch.<ref>Louisiana Secretary of State, Election Returns, October 20, 2007.</ref> Ten days after he vacated the seat to Thompson, Charles Jones was charged with two counts of making and subscribing a false federal income tax return and one count of tax evasion.<ref>''Monroe News Star'' January 25, 2008.</ref> Hunter charged irregularities in the primary election in part on grounds that certain Thompson supporters in heavily black East Carroll Parish distributed food packages to the poor with instructions that they should vote for Francis Thompson to maintain such assistance.[4]<ref>''The Monroe News Star,'' November 10, 2007.</ref>

In addition to his own Richland Parish, Thompson's House district included all or portions of East Carroll, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, and West Carroll parishes in northeast Louisiana. His Senate district will include included all or parts parts of Concordia, East Carroll, Madison, Ouachita, Richland, and Tensas parishes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://senate.la.gov/senators/senpage.asp?SenID=34|title=Senator Francis C. Thompson|publisher=Louisiana State Senate|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

==Background==When he was term-limited in the state Senate, Thompson graduated from Delhi High School ran unopposed in 1959the nonpartisan blanket primary on October 12, 2019, to return to his former District 19 state House seat. He received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from returned to the House in 2020 after twelve years in the Senate. The primary includes the race for [[Louisiana Tech Universitygovernor]] , in which incumbent Democrat [[Ruston, Louisiana|RustonJohn Bel Edwards]] in Lincoln Parish. He also procured an Edfaces a divided Republican field, including [[U.DS. degree Representative]] [[Ralph Abraham]], from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University). Thompson was a teacher from 1963-1965's own Richland Parish, but he vacated the classroom to become vice president of a manufacturing company from 1965-1972. Laterand [[Eddie Rispone]], he returned to the classroom as a ULM assistant professor of education.[1[Baton Rouge]] businessman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/candidateinquiry|title=Candidate Inquiry (Richland Parish)|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=August 9, 2019}}</ref>

From 1968 to 1975, ==Personal life and early career==Thompson was an elected member of the Richland Parish graduated from Delhi High School Boardin 1959.[1] He won a special election in 1975 to fill the House seat vacated by the resignation received his Bachelor and Master of Democrat Benny Gay Christian (1925-1982),Science degrees from [5[Louisiana Tech University]] who had served in the state House since 1964. Later in the year, Thompson won a full term in the seat, which in time became the single-member District 19. Prior to his legislative years, Thompson worked in [[Baton RougeRuston, Louisiana|Ruston]] for the Louisiana Department of Education under Superintendent Louis Jin Lincoln Parish. He also procured an Ed. Michot D. degree from 1974-1975. He was a member the University of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from 1973-1974at Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University). Thompson has also been was a member of teacher from 1963 to 1965, but he vacated the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission classroom to become vice president of the Statesa manufacturing company from 1965 to 1972. He has been active in Later, he returned to the Retarded Children's Association and the Louisiana Mental Health Drug Advisory Council. He is classroom as a member ULM assistant professor of the Masonic lodge and the Lions Internationaleducation.

Thompson is married to the former Marilyn Bryant[1] (born October 6, 1944)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www. mylife.com/marilyn-thompson/e820695603978|title=Marilyn Thompson of Delhi, Louisiana|publisher=Mylife.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref> The couple lives at resides 456 Robin Hood Lane in Delhi. They have There are three Thompson children, including sons : Francis Todd Thompson (born c. 1963April 3, 1964) of Baton Rouge and Brant L. Thompson (born April 1, 1965 ), both of Delhi, and daughter, Melissa T. Blanchfield (born October 21, 1972) of Baton Rouge.<ref>Net Detective, People Search.</ref> Thompson is a [6[Presbyterian] ]. From 1968 to 1975, Thompson was an elected member of the Richland Parish School Board. He won a special election in 1975 to fill the House seat vacated by the resignation of Democrat [[Benny Christian]] (1925-1982),<ref>"Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010; now under pay wall.</ref> who had served in the state House since 1964. Later in the year, Thompson won a full term in the seat, which in time became the single-member District 19. Prior to his legislative years, Thompson worked in Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Department of Education under Superintendent [[Louis J. Michot]] from 1974 to 1975. He was a member of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from 1973 to 1974. Thompson has also been a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission of the States. He has been active in the Retarded Children's Association and the Louisiana Mental Health Drug Advisory Council. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and the Lions International. Thompson's brother and the oldest of his five siblings, Clyde Nolan Thompson (April 25, 1937 &mdash; July 31, 2015), was a multi-sport athlete at Louisiana Tech who for twenty years held the school record for stolen bases. He was also a Tech football quarterback. With his doctorate in professional education from the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Clyde Thompson was a teacher and coach in several Louisiana high school and then at Louisiana Tech. In 1975, he became the drug education coordinator for District 8 for the Louisiana Department of Education. In 1980, Republican Governor [[PresbyterianDavid C. Treen]]named Clyde Thompson, like his brother a Democrat, as the deputy director of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.He then became the assistant to the president of the State Board of Education before he returned to Delhi and became the director of the Madison Parish Port, a position which he held for more than two decades until retirement in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150074010/clyde-nolan-thompson|title=Clyde Nolan Thompson|publisher=Findagrave.com|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In 2000, Thompson was named chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.[7] <ref>"Rep. Thompson to Head Agriculture Committee". Legis.state.la.us, accessed January 5, 2009.</ref> In 2003, he authored the "Master Farmer" program, which the legislature approved without dissent. The program was developed by the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center and sponsored by the Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation. It is an environmental education program designed to help farmers and ranchers identify and adopt best management practices to improve water quality in lakes, streams and bayous. It involves classroom instruction, field days and implementation of farm-specific conservation plans to maximize productivity while minimizing environmental impacts. Thompson's model program has been proposed for national acceptance.[8]<ref>"Master Farmer program cited as good example for nation," Deltafarmpress.com., November 12, 2004, accessed January 2, 2010.</ref>

==Poverty PoinPoint==During his long legislative career, Thompson worked successfully to procure state funding for Poverty Point Reservoir, a 3,000-acre (12 km2) lake north of Delhi that was completed in 2001. The reservoir has since been converted to a state park. Thompson's brother, Michael L. "Mike" Thompson (born February 1, 1949) of Delhi is the former executive director of the reservoir district. On June 26, 2008, Mike Thompson along with District Attorney William R. "Billy" Coenen (born July 1, 1947) of the Fifth Judicial District and a resident of Rayville[6] and engineer Terry Denmon of Monroe were indicted by a federal grand jury in [[Shreveport ]] for having conspired secretly to purchase land along what would become Poverty Point Reservoir and then selling the land at an elevated price.[9] <ref>"How Much Better Can Louisiana Politics Get?", Louisianaconservative.com., accessed January 5, 2009.</ref> The trio is each charged with one count of conspiracy and eight counts of mail fraud. Mike Thompson is also under indictment for alleged violations of the Hobbs Act. Thompson is accused of having used district employees to perform personal work for him at the lake. [10]<ref name=coenen/>

According to the indictment, Thompson, Coenen, and Denmon bought a 5-acre (20,000 m2) tract of land on what would later form the shores of the reservoir for $16,800. They reportedly used a nominee purchaser to hide their interest. Subsequently, Thompson used his position as executive director to have trees removed from the property. Thompson and Denmon (born May 15, 1944),[6] whose engineering firm was contracted to work for the district, had the property excavated, the indictment states. The tract was subdivided, and six of the eight lots sold for a total of $250,000. Coenen is implicated through his role as attorney for the Poverty Point District as well as being district attorney.[10]<ref name=coenen>{{cite web|url=https://realreservoirnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/federal-grand-jury-indicts-district.html|title=Federal grand jury indicts district attorney|author=Michael DeVault|publisher=''The Ouachita Citizen''|date=June 26, 2008|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In 1996, Thompson ran for the open Fifth District seat in the United States House of Representatives. He polled 50,144 votes (28 percent) and went into a general election with the Republican ophthalmologist [[John Cooksey ]] of Monroe, who led in the jungle nonpartisan blanket primary with 60,853 ballots (34 percent). Former U.S. Representative [[Clyde Cecil Holloway (1943-2016) ]] of Forest Hill in Rapides Parish trailed in third place with 48,226 (27 percent).[11] <ref>Louisiana election returns, September 21, 1996," Sos.louisiana.gov., accessed January 2, 2009.</ref> Holloway then endorsed Cooksey, who defeated Thompson by a comfortable margin. Cooksey received 135,990 votes (58 percent) to the more liberal Thompson's 97,363 (42 percent).[12] <ref>Louisiana election returns, November 5, 1996, Sos.louisiana.gov, accessed January 2, 2009.</ref> Cooksey served three terms before leaving the U.S. House early in 2003. Cooksey's campaign manager, [[Lee Fletcher]], was thereafter named as his chief of staff. Fletcher tried to win the House seat himself in 2002 but lost to Democrat (later Republican) [[Rodney AlexandeAlexander]]r.

Though he is As a Democrat, Thompson broke party ranks in the 2003 gubernatorial primary to support the unsuccessful Republican candidate [[Republican PartyHunt Downer|Republican]] candidate Huntington Blair "Hunt" Downer , Jr.]] of Houma in Terrebonne Parish, a former United States Army officer and state House Speaker, who finished sixth in the balloting though he had the support of a cross-section of state legislators from both parties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/934952/posts|title=33 State Legislators Announce Support for Hunt Downer (LA Gov)|publisher=[[Free Republic]]|date=June 23, 2003|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

In 2005, Francis Thompson was inducted into the [[Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame ]] in Winnfield.[13]<ref>New inductions, Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame," Cityofwinnfield.com., accessed August 22, 2009.</ref> In 2015, he was unopposed for reelection to the Senate.

In 2017, Thompson successfully introduced legislation to name the Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts in [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]] in honor of the late state Representative Jimmy D. Long, who was among those instrumental in establishment of the institution through Long's chairmanship of the House Education Committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksla.com/story/35592915/house-approves-renaming-louisiana-school-for-math-science-and-the-arts/|title=ReferencesHouse approves renaming Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts|publisher=KSLA-TV ([[CBS]] in [[Shreveport]])|date=June 5, 2017|accessdate=July 19, 2019}}</ref>

1On March 17, 2023, Thompson switched his official party registration to Republican. a b c d "House District 19". enlou<ref>{{cite web|url=https://louisianaradionetwork.com. Retrieved January 2/2023/03/17/lifelong-democrat-rep-thompson-switches-to-the-republican-party/|title=Lifelong Democrat, 2009Rep.Francis Thompson switches to the Republican Party|publisher=Louisiana Radio Network|author=Brooke Thorington|date= March 17, 2023|accessdate=August 7, 2023}}</ref>

2. "Louisiana election returns, October 20, 2007". sos.louisiana.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2009. 3. ''Monroe News-Star,'' January 25, 2008. 4. ''Monroe News-Star'', November 10, 2007. 5. "Social Security Death Index". ssdi.rootsweb.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010. 6. Thompson won a b c Net Detective, People Search 7. "Rep. Thompson landslide reelection to Head Agriculture Committee". house.legis.the state.la.us. Retrieved January 5House on October 14, 2009. 8. "Master Farmer program cited as good example for nation"2023, November 12against the [[Independent voter|Independent]] candidate, 2004"Norman Davis. deltafarmpressNo Democrat contested the position.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010. 9. ""How Much Better Can Louisiana Politics Get?"". louisianaconservative.com. Retrieved January 5, 2009. 10. a b Coenen, Denmon, Thompson indicted in mail fraudreceived 8, 622 votes (78 percent) to Davis''The News-Star'' 11. "Louisiana election returns, September 21, 1996". sos.louisiana.gov. Retrieved January 2, 2009442 votes (22 percent). 12. "<ref>Louisiana election returnsSecretary of State, November 5Election Returns, 1996". sos.louisiana.gov. Retrieved January 2October 24, 20092023. 13. "Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame". cityofwinnfield.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009.  http:<//www.louisianaconservative.com/?p=33 http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=4610ref>

 [[Category:Former Democrats]][[Category:Republicans]]