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Remembering Judge ‘Willie’ Thompson, a Brooklynite for all seasons

January 8, 2019 Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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William C. Thompson, a Brooklyn College and Brooklyn Law School graduate, began his illustrious career being elected to the New York State Senate in 1965.  As Chairman of the Joint Legislative Committee on Child Care Needs, he sponsored and signed into law over 25 bills.

Justice Thompson served on the City Council from 1969-1973.  

In 1974, he was elected a justice of the Supreme Court, designated an associate justice of the Appellate Term, 2nd and 11th Districts in 1976, and was appointed assistant administrative judge in charge of the Supreme Court of Brooklyn and Staten Island in 1978.

In 1980, Gov. Hugh L. Carey designated him associate justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, where for two decades he analyzed over 24,000 cases, encompassing all types of litigation. He retired in 2001 and, due to his love of the law, returned to private practice until his passing.

Justice Thompson’s concern for the public good had been a constant focus through his many endeavors. He was co-­chairman of Blacks and Jews in Conversation, co­-chairman of the Committee to Promote Public Trust and Confidence in the Legal System and treasurer of Judges And Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert (JALBCA).

He was a founder, along with the late Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, served as its director and was an original director of Bedford-Stuyvesant Youth-In-Action.  A former N.A.A.C.P regional director, Justice Thompson was also with the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, former president of the Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association, a member of the Torah Club, the American Bar Association, the Brooklyn Bar and Judicial Friends.   

A principled leader and pioneering public servant, Justice Thompson was one whose achievements, when listed, paled in comparison to his real-life civic and human impact.  He lived a life of many “firsts.” According to his family, he was the first black state senator from Brooklyn, the first black administrative judge in Kings County and the first black judge in the Appellate Division 2nd  Department.

He was a sergeant in World War II, serving with the “Buffalo Soldiers” of the Army’s 92nd Infantry Division.

William “Willy” Thompson is survived by his son, William Jr., his daughter Gail and countless other loving family members and friends.

 

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