Ed Thompson, brother of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, pours coffee for patrons at Ed's Tee Pee Supper Club in Tomah in 2006. Thompson, who died Saturday, most recently ran for state senator. Credit: Rick Wood

SHARE

By of the

No one was ever confused about the fact that Ed Thompson - former Gov. Tommy Thompson's younger brother - was his own man, especially when it came to politics.

Ed Thompson was a first-term mayor of Tomah when he decided to run for governor on the Libertarian ticket in 2002.

The inspiration - like everything else about Ed - made for a good story. More often than not, there was a good quote, too.

"Tommy went to college and passed the bar exam," Thompson said as he ran for governor. "I went to town and bought a bar."

Allan Edward Thompson died from pancreatic cancer Saturday morning. He was 66 years old.

Thompson announced he had cancer a little more than a year ago, during his most recent run for office - a bid as a Republican for the 31st District state Senate seat. He lost to Democratic incumbent Kathleen Vinehout in November.

Ed Thompson had a variety of careers, from politician to poker player to prison cook. His political life began, indirectly at least, with felony charges. In 1997, during his brother's 1987-2001 time as governor, Ed and dozens of other Monroe County restaurant and tavern owners were raided for allegedly having illegal gaming devices.

He demanded a jury trial and won his case unexpectedly: The charges were dismissed when not enough impartial jurors could be found.

Thompson became president of the Monroe County Tavern League and ran for mayor of Tomah in 2000. He won, booting a two-term incumbent out of office. By 2002, he had embraced Libertarian politics and decided to run for his brother's old job.

Thompson wanted to be the alternative to the status quo - what he liked to call the "Republicrats."

"I'm a different person than Tommy," Thompson once told The Washington Post. "He's a Republican. He believed in politicians. He really thinks George W. Bush is a fantastic guy. Can you believe that? That's proof right there that I'm the smartest."

Ed Thompson took advice on running a third-party campaign from Jesse Ventura, the wrestler-turned-governor in Minnesota, but it was not enough to beat the odds. He took 10% of the vote in an election that also included then-Attorney General Jim Doyle and Republican Gov. Scott McCallum.

In the end, he became a spoiler for some.

"I got blamed for electing Doyle," Thompson said.

Elroy roots

Thompson was born on Christmas Day 1944, one of four children in a grocer's family in small-town Elroy.

The early years included stints at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in the Navy. Various accounts show he was also a welder at the General Motors plant in Janesville, a snowplow driver, a real estate agent, a butcher, a cook at a federal prison, a railroad worker and a grocery store owner. He bought his first bar in 1968 in Elroy.

He also boxed in Golden Gloves competitions and fought in Toughman contests, competing until he was nearly 40. He was a professional poker player, but gave that up when he lost $15,000 in a Las Vegas tournament. His ace-high flush didn't beat a full house.

If his work life was eclectic, his personal life was sometimes problematic. His legal troubles included a charge of obstructing after a disagreement with a police officer.

An epiphany

At one point he spiraled into depression and thought about ending his life.

Then he had an epiphany, what he later described as a religious experience of moving toward light and hope.

He gave up drinking and a four-pack-a-day smoking habit. He studied Scripture. He bought a supper club in Tomah, known as Mr. Ed's Tee Pee or just the Tee Pee Supper Club.

He was elected to public office again, unexpectedly, as a write-in candidate for the Tomah Common Council in 2005. He was elected mayor of Tomah again in 2008, but was not in office at the time of his death.

During his state Senate campaign, Thompson started experiencing some pain and went in for what he thought was a routine surgery, according to Brian Schimming, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin and a friend of the Thompson family for 30 years.

He came out to learn that doctors found stage 4 pancreatic cancer. It had metastasized.

Thompson is survived by four children and eight grandchildren, brothers Tommy and Art, and sister Julie.

Tommy Thompson released a statement Saturday, saying that his brother had an "infectious candor and spirit."

"His life was defined by an intense affection for his friends, neighbors and those who may have fallen on hard times," Thompson said. "Ed ran for public office because he believed government had forgotten about working people and in many ways, he was right."

Said Vinehout, his 2010 opponent: "We will all miss his independence and forthrightness - something Wisconsin politics could use now."

A visitation for Thompson will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday at St. Mary Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Tomah.

