Let's compare their early lives and see which one grew up "Gucci-wearing,
Lincoln-driving, Perrier-drinking, Grey
Poupon-spreading" shall we?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Cooper
Cooper was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee. He is the son of former governor
Prentice Cooper. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill before winning a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford
where he studied at Oriel College before going on to Harvard University Law
School.
In 1982, he won the Democratic primary for the new 4th District, which had
been created when Tennessee gained a district after the 1980 census.
Foot Note:
1.. ^
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1990/roll123.xml#N
He grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth and he worked outside of
politics from 1980-1983.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_thompson
Fred Thompson was born August 19, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama to Ruth Inez
(Bradley) and Fletcher Session Thompson, an automobile salesman.[6][7] He
attended the public schools in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee including Lawrence
County High School. After graduating from high school, he worked days in the
local post office and worked nights at a bicycle assembly plant.[8]
Thompson entered Florence State College, now the University of North
Alabama, becoming the first member of his family to go to college.[9] He
subsequently transferred to Memphis State University, now the University of
Memphis, where he earned a double-major in philosophy and political science
in 1964, as well as scholarships to both Tulane and Vanderbilt law
schools.[8] He went on to earn his J.D. degree from Vanderbilt in 1967.[9]
Thompson was admitted to the State Bar of Tennessee in 1967 and worked as an
assistant U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972.[10] In that position, he
successfully prosecuted bank robbery and other cases.[8]
He was the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker's
successful re-election campaign in 1972, which led to a close friendship
with Baker. He later served as co-chief counsel to the Senate Watergate
Committee in its investigation of the Watergate scandal, (1973-1974), and
afterwards wrote a book about it.[11]
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Thompson worked primarily as an
attorney, with law offices in Nashville and Washington, DC. Among the cases
Thompson handled in his private law practice were personal injury claims and
the defense of individuals accused of white collar crimes.[12] While in
private practice, he also accepted appointments as Special Counsel to the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee (1980-1981), Special Counsel to the
Senate Intelligence Committee (1982), and Member of the Appellate Court
Nominating Commission for the State of Tennessee (1985-1987).[8][9] Some of
his clients have been foreign corporations, such as a German mining group
and Japan's Toyota Motors Corporation.[13] Thompson has served on various
corporate boards; for example, in the 1990s, he did legal work for the
engineering firm Stone & Webster, while also serving on its board of
directors.[14]
Thompson was appointed minority counsel for the hearings surrounding the
Watergate scandal.[15] He was responsible for Sen. Baker asking one of the
questions that is said to have led directly to the downfall of President
Richard Nixon-"What did the President know, and when did he know it?"[16]
Also, Thompson himself asked former White House aide Alexander Butterfield,
at the public committee hearing, about listening devices in the White House,
although the committee already knew the answer to that question because
Butterfield had earlier been interviewed by Senate investigators in closed
session.[15][13]
Nixon was reportedly angry that Thompson had been selected as minority
counsel to the Senate Watergate committee; Nixon believed the young Thompson
was not skilled enough to interrogate unfriendly witnesses, and was apt to
be outfoxed by committee Democrats.[17] According to historian Stanley
Kutler, Fred Thompson and Howard Baker "carried water for the White House,
but I have to give them credit - they were watching out for their interests,
too....They weren't going to mindlessly go down the tubes" for Nixon.[17]
In response to renewed interest in this matter, Thompson says "I'm glad all
of this has finally caused someone to read my Watergate book, even though
it's taken them over thirty years."[18]
In 1977, Thompson represented Marie Ragghianti who was a former Tennessee
Parole Board chair. Ragghianti had refused to release felons who had bribed
aides to Democratic Governor Ray Blanton in order to obtain clemency.[19]
With Thompson's assistance, Ragghianti filed a wrongful termination suit
against the office of Governor Blanton.
Thompson previously considered legal action on behalf of other state
employees who were allegedly dismissed for political reasons. In the
Ragghianti case, Thompson helped to expose the cash-for-clemency scheme
which eventually led to the removal of Blanton from the Governor's
office.[13] In July 1978, a jury awarded Ragghianti $38,000 in back pay, and
ordered her reinstatement.[19] Ragghianti's case would garner national
attention, leading to the publication of a book titled, Marie, and a film of
the same name.
Footnotes
1.. ^ American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Scholars &
Fellows.
2.. ^ Thompson, Fred. Modern Political Archives: Fred Thompson Papers,
1993-2002. University of Tennessee. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
3.. ^ Locker, Richard. "Thompson may house hunt in Tenn.", Knoxville News
Sentinel, 14 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
4.. ^ a b Bragg, Rick. "Grits and Glitter Campaign Helps Actor Who Played
a Senator Become One", The New York Times, November 12, 1994, pp. Sec. 1, p.
10. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
5.. ^ a b Associated Press and Cameron, Carl. "Fred Thompson Quits 'Law &
Order,' Moves Closer to 2008 White House Bid", Fox News (2007-05-31).
6.. ^ Fred Dalton Thompson Biography (1942-) via
filmreference.com.
7.. ^ Reitwiesner, William Addams. Ancestry of Fred Thompson.
self-published, non-authoritative. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
8.. ^ a b c d e f g Lawrimore, Erin. "Biography/History", University of
Tennessee Special Collections Library (2005).
9.. ^ a b c "About Fred", via
imwithfred.com (Official Site). Retrieved
(2007-07-13).
10.. ^ Fred Thompson Hometown Biography, Lawrenceburg Tennessee
11.. ^ Thompson, Fred. At That Point in Time: The inside story of the
Senate Watergate Committee (1975).
12.. ^ Vogel, Kenneth. "Rivals Take Aim At Thompson", CBS News
(2007-06-12). Retrieved 2007-07-08.
13.. ^ a b c d e Cottle, Michelle. "Another Beltway Bubba?", Washington
Monthly, 1 December 1996. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
14.. ^ a b Dilanian, Ken. Past as lobbyist may play into future as
candidate, USA Today (2007-06-06).
15.. ^ a b "Thompson cooperated with White House during Watergate",
Associated Press, 08 March 2007.
16.. ^ Cameron, Carl. "National TV Star, Former Republican Senator Fred
Thompson Mulls '08 Presidential Bid", FoxNews, 08 March 2007.
17.. ^ a b Lowy, Joan. "Fred Thompson Aided Nixon on Watergate,"
Associated Press (2007-07-07).
18.. ^ Kranish, Michael. "Not all would put a heroic sheen on Thompson's
Watergate role", The Boston Globe, July 4, 2007, pp. Sec. 1, p. 10.
Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
19.. ^ a b The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: Leonard Ray
Blanton, 1930-1996. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
He grew up driving a pickup.
