William Thompson, Brooklyn’s first African-American senator and a former state Supreme Court justice, passed away on Christmas Eve. He was 94.
The trailblazing Thompson, who fought in World War II as part of the Army’s legendary “Buffalo Soldiers” division, made history when he was elected to represent Kings County in the state Senate in 1965.
A son of Caribbean immigrants, Thompson held that seat until 1969, when he was elected to the City Council, where he served for four years before being elected to the state Supreme Court’s second department Appellate Division.
Thompson served on the court for nearly three decades until his retirement in 2000.
His son, William Thompson Jr., took up his father’s political mantle when he was elected city controller in 2002.
The elder Thompson also leaves behind his daughter, Gail. Thompson’s wife, Elaine Thompson, a public school teacher, died in 2010.
City officials mourned the longtime public servant on Christmas Day.
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SOURCE: CHRIS SOMMERFELDT
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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