James R. Thompson

James Robert Thompson, Jr. (May 8, 1936 – August 14, 2020) was an American Republican politician. He was the 37th Governor of Illinois from 1977 through 1991. He was part of the 9/11 Commission. A structure in Chicago is named after him, the James R. Thompson Center.
Thompson was born on May 8, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois to a Swedish-American family. He studied at the University of Illinois at Chicago, at Washington University in St. Louis, and at Northwestern University. He was married to Jayne Ann Carr Thompson. They had one child.
Thompson died of cardiac arrest at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on August 14, 2020 at the age of 84.