Thompson was born in 1915 in
San Antonio,
Texas. After graduation, Thompson toured Europe and the Middle East, using money he had raised by selling subscriptions to the ''
Reader's Digest,'' and began his career at the magazine. He helped establish the magazine's first international division in Latin America, and directed the distribution of the magazine's military edition across Europe and Asia Pacific. In 1947, he founded the ''Reader's Digest'' branch of Canada. In 1954, he was named director of national advertising and subsequently served as worldwide advertising director. Thompson was named vice president of
The New York Times in 1971. He was also president and chief executive of the
Family Circle magazine from 1969 to 1975 until he was named
The Times' s vice president for advertising. He was named head of the
Times's magazine group after the newspaper acquired
Family Circle. He was named assistant to Walter E. Mattson in 1979 and served in that position until 1980. == Personal life and family ==