John Hubert Thompson (June 19, 1951May 9, 2025) was an American

statistician A statistician is a person who works with Theory, theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private sector, private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, a ...

and

Director of the United States Census Bureau The director of the Bureau of the Census is the chief administrator of the United States Census Bureau (USCB). The officeholder is appointed by the president of the United States and Advice and consent, confirmed by the United States Senate and ass ...

. In this position, one of his main duties was to oversee preparations for the 2020 United States Census. On May 9, 2017, the Commerce Department announced that he would leave his post on June 30.

Biography

Thompson was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on June 19, 1951. He received B.S. and

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

degrees in mathematics from

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

in 1973 and 1975, respectively. After graduation, he spent 27 years working at the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, retiring in 2002 after holding the position of associate director, where he was responsible for the 2000 Census. Prior to that, Thompson served as Chief of the Decennial Management Division. He worked in the Statistical Support Division from 1987 to 1995 and the Statistical Methods Division from 1975 to 1987. From 2008 to 2013, Thompson was the President and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

NORC at the University of Chicago NORC at the University of Chicago, previously the National Opinion Research Center, is an independent social research organization in the United States. Established in 1941, its corporate headquarters is located in downtown Chicago, with office ...

. Thompson joined NORC in 2002 as the executive vice president for survey operations and was appointed president and CEO in 2008. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

to be the 24th Census Bureau director on August 1, 2013. He died on May 9, 2025, at the age of 73, in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in central Oregon and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is located to the east of the Cascade Range, on the Deschutes River. The site became known by pioneers as a ford (cros ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, John H. 1951 births 2025 deaths American statisticians Directors of the United States Census Bureau Obama administration personnel Virginia Tech alumni Fellows of the American Statistical Association First Trump administration personnel