Fred Thompson and his typical young wife.
[From obituary]
"Fred once said that the experiences he had growing up in small-town Tennessee formed the prism through which he viewed the world and shaped the way he dealt with life," his family said. "Fred stood on principle and common sense, and had a deep love for and connection with the people across Tennessee whom he had the privilege to serve in the United States Senate. He enjoyed a hearty laugh, a strong handshake, a good cigar, and a healthy dose of humility. Fred was the same man on the floor of the Senate, the movie studio, or the town square of Lawrenceburg, his home."
[. . .]
As an attorney, he helped lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. As an actor, he starred in some of the most prominent films and television series of his time. And as a politician, he served the state of Tennessee in the U.S. Senate from 1994 to 2003, before making a brief run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
[. . .]
"He was a good-ol'-boy from Lawrence County with a lot of talent and a lot of gifts,"
[. . .]
Born in Alabama, Fred Dalton Thompson grew up across the state line in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. Known then as "Freddie," Mr. Thompson was described as a "class cut-up" and "clown" by a high school basketball teammate in a Boston Globe article.
Although he was a well-respected athlete, his high school banned him from playing basketball after he married then-wife Sarah Lindsey at the age of 17. Not a particularly impressive student, he struggled with school and his future until his father-in-law gave him the autobiography of Clarence Darrow, the famed attorney from the Scopes trial in Dayton, Tenn.
[. . .]
Photo: Billy Easley/AP
Thompson is seen with client Marie Ragghianti in 1977, when he was working an attorney. Tenn. Gov. Ray Blanton was accused of firing Ragghianti for refusing to go along with a cash-for-clemency scheme.
In 1977 Mr. Thompson found himself representing the whistle-blower in one of Tennessee's biggest political scandals. In her role as a parole administrator, Marie Ragghianti refused to release inmates granted pardons after paying then-Gov. Ray Blanton. Mr. Thompson successfully represented Ragghianti in a wrongful termination case, helping her win a settlement and a return to her job in 1978.
That case eventually became the subject of a book and launched Mr. Thompson's acting career. Mr. Thompson played himself in the 1985 version of the movie “Marie." Critics praised his performance, and more roles soon followed.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/01/former-us-sen-fred-thompson-dies-73/74752142/
Fred Thompson, with larger-than-life persona, dies at 73
Dave Boucher and Joey Garrison, jgarrison (at) tennessean.com
9:40 p.m. CST November 1, 2015
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