Boro bids farewell to trailblazing judge
COURIER L 40 IFE, JAN. 25–31, 2019 M
Family, friends, and colleagues of the
late Kings County Justice William
Thompson gathered at Borough Hall
on Jan. 17 to celebrate the trailblazing civil
servant’s life and legacy.
The local luminaries packed the courtroom
inside the People’s House for the memorial
to Thompson, whose distinguished
career in public service included the distinctions
of serving as Brooklyn’s fi rst
black state senator, Kings County’s fi rst
black administrative judge, and the fi rst
black New York State Supreme Court justice.
Thompson’s son, former New York City
Comptroller Bill Thompson, Jr., presided
over the celebration as its master of ceremonies,
speaking before the crowd and
introducing fellow speakers, who included
Borough President Adams, New York
Board of Rabbis Executive Vice President
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, and District Attorney
Eric Gonzalez.
The judge, who died last December at 94-
years-old, was born in the outer borough
of Manhattan, but moved to Kings County
as a teen, and lived here until his death.
He graduated from Brooklyn College and
Brooklyn Law School, and later served as a
sergeant with the “Buffalo Soldiers” of the
United States Army’s 92nd Infantry Division
during World War II before beginning
his decades as a civil servant.
Voters elected Thompson to the New
York State Senate in 1965, where he served
Photo by Caroline Ourso
until 1968, before beginning a stint as a
Brooklyn councilman in 1969. And less
than 10 years later after voters sent Thompson
to the Senate, they elected him to the
state Supreme Court bench in 1974, kicking
off his judicial career that continued until
his retirement in 2000.
Thompson’s community involvement
wasn’t relegated to public offi ce, however.
Early in his career, he co-founded the Bedford
Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
in 1967, which has served as a powerful advocacy
group for that neighborhood ever
since.
Brooklynites making a buzz
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez spoke.
From left, former Mayor David Dinkins, Judge Sylvia Ash, and former Rep. Charles
Rangel attended the ceremony. Photo by Victoria Schneps-Yunis
(From left) Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, Borough President Adams, and Thompson’s son, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, Jr.,
paid homage to the late civil servant.
(From left) Memorial attendees listened intently to the day’s speakers, who remembered the life and legacy of the judge. Thompson’s former secretary, Denise Felipe-Adams, shared
stories about her former boss. Dr. David Pitman admired photos of Thompson from throughout his storied career during the celebration of the jurist’sw life at Borough Hall.
Photos by Caroline Ourso