REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS)
Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, he has been the Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019, previously holding the position from 2007 to 2011.
The district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. It is approximately 275 miles (443 km) long, 180 miles (290 km) wide, and borders the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Delta comprises the vast majority of the 2nd congressional district. Thompson was both the first Democrat and the first African American to chair the House Homeland Security Committee (2007–2011). He is the dean of Mississippi’s congressional delegation.
Thompson is a lifelong resident of Bolton, near Jackson. He attended Hinds County public schools before earning a B.A. in political science from Tougaloo College in 1968 and an M.S. in educational administration from Jackson State University in 1973. He served as an alderman and then mayor of Bolton before being elected to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.
