Robert Thompson 6044

Robert Thompson was an only child born in Los Angeles in 1918. His parents were immigrants from England. He attended USC and graduated from law school in 1942. He was rejected from the Army due to poor eyesight, but was eventually accepted and served as a legal officer. After the war, he was admitted to the bar without taking the bar exam due to a statute that allowed those whose law school career was interrupted by service to be admitted without the exam. He married his wife Betty before he enlisted and returned to Los Angeles after the war. He started a law firm with a classmate and eventually joined forces with Walter Nossaman. He became active in Republican politics and was appointed to the bench by Pat Brown in 1965.