Bernard Tompkins (February 6, 1904 – February 7, 1965) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Life

He was born on February 6, 1904, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

from 1930 to 1936 and a special assistant to the

U.S. Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The attorney general acts as the principal legal advisor to the president of the ...

from 1937 to 1940. In November 1952, Tompkins defeated the incumbent Democratic Senator

Frank D. O'Connor Frank D. O'Connor (December 20, 1909 – December 2, 1992) was an American lawyer and politician from New York (state), New York. Life O'Connor was born on December 20, 1909, in Manhattan, New York City, the son of Irish immigrants. He grew up i ...

in the 6th senatorial district and was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(6th D.) in 1953 and 1954. He was Chairman of a Joint Legislative Committee on Charitable and Philanthropic Agencies and Organizations (the "Tompkins Committee") which investigated fund-raising practices in New York. The findings of the committee led to the enactment of a law that required registration and reporting by fund-raising organizations and individuals. In November 1954, after re-apportionment, Tompkins ran in the 8th district for re-election but was defeated by O'Connor. In November 1955, O'Connor was elected D.A. of Queens County, and a special election for the vacant Senate seat was held on February 7, 1956. Tompkins defeated the Democratic nominee Thomas A. Duffy, and was again a member of the State Senate for the remainder of the session of

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

. In November 1956, Tompkins ran for re-election but was defeated by Duffy. He died on February 7, 1965, while being interviewed by the press on the steps of the NYPD Station House at West 68th Street in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

;''Bernard Tompkins Dead at 61; Lawyer and Ex-State Senator''
in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on February 8, 1965 (subscription required) and was buried at the Mount Hebron Cemetery in

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial ...

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tompkins, Bernard 1904 births 1965 deaths Politicians from Queens, New York Republican Party New York (state) state senators Assistant United States attorneys 20th-century American lawyers Burials at Mount Hebron Cemetery (New York City) Lawyers from New York City 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature