John Hubert Thompson

John Hubert Thompson, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and respected leader in the social science research community, passed away peacefully at his home in Bend, Oregon on May 9, 2025, at the age of 73. Born on June 19, 1951, in Washington, D.C., John lived a life marked by service, integrity, and a passion for his family and community.

John is survived by his beloved wife of 52 years, Bonnie; his three children, Lowell (Karla) of Woodbridge, VA; John (Sam) of San Ramon, CA; and Meredith of Bend, OR; and his grandchild, Emma. He will also be deeply missed by his brothers, David (Marilynn) and Timothy (Jane), and his sister, Clair (John) Pippinich.

During his years in Great Falls, John was actively involved in the lives of young people, dedicating his time to coaching both youth soccer in the Great Falls Youth Soccer program and basketball. His enthusiasm for sports extended to his own pursuits as an avid tennis player. He also embraced running, participating in several Cherry Blossom 5Ks and proudly completing the Marine Corp Marathon. Following his retirement and move to Bend, Oregon, John discovered a love for biking, particularly mountain biking, and enjoyed the natural beauty of the region through hiking, birding, and bird photography.

John's professional life was characterized by a deep commitment to public service and the advancement of social science research. After earning his undergraduate and master's degrees from Virginia Tech, he began his distinguished career at the Census Bureau. John first came to the Census Bureau in 1975. Over the next few decades, he served in many different roles. As the senior career executive responsible for all aspects of the 2000 Census, he helped pioneer the use of state-of-the-art technology in optical scanning and intelligent character recognition. This allowed the Census Bureau to capture all the information from census questionnaires, including handwritten items, and convert them into computer processed data. He retired from the Bureau in 2002 and subsequently joined NORC at the University of Chicago, where he rose to become the President and CEO.

His expertise and dedication led to a call back to public service in 2013 when he was appointed the 24th Director of the Census overseeing preparations for the 2020 Census. He served in this crucial role until 2017. Following his tenure at the Census Bureau, John continued to contribute his leadership skills as the executive director of the Council of Professional Associations for Federal Statistics (COPAFS) for a year before his final retirement in 2018.

A longtime leader in his field, John was recognized as an elected fellow of the American Statistical Association. Even after his move to Bend, he remained engaged, consulting on social science matters and briefly serving as the recording secretary for the Board of the Tower Theatre Foundation.

John's legacy is one of loving devotion to his family, a steadfast commitment to honesty and fairness, and a distinguished career of public service. His enduring advice to those around him was: "Always be honest and fair; remember the importance of family." And reflecting his lifelong pride, he would often say, "Once a Hokie, always a Hokie!"