Representative Jill Lynette Long Thompson

Jill Lynette Long Thompson served as a Representative from Indiana in the United States Congress from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Jill Lynette Long Thompson contributed to the legislative process during 3 terms in office.

Jill Lynette Long Thompson’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the House of Representatives, Jill Lynette Long Thompson participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Jill Lynette Long Thompson (born July 15, 1952) is an American politician, educator, and author. A former Congresswoman from Indiana, she is the author of The Character of American Democracy, published by Indiana University Press in September 2020. From 2015 to 2020 she taught ethics as a visiting clinical associate professor at the Kelley School of Business and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington and during the 2020–2021 academic year she served as a visiting scholar with the Ostrom Workshop, also at Indiana University. Until 2015 she was board chair and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration, a position to which President Barack Obama appointed her. The first person in her family to graduate from college, she earned a B.S. in business administration at Valparaiso University and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in business at Indiana University. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Long Thompson’s political career began when she was elected to the Valparaiso city council in 1983. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1989, representing a heavily Republican district for three terms. In 1995, President Bill Clinton nominated her to serve as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.