Washington, D.C. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is pleased to announce the appointment of Fred D. Thompson, former Republican Senator from Tennessee, as a member of the Commission. He was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to a two-year term expiring December 31, 2006. Mr. Thompson said: I am pleased to be appointed to the Commission and I am looking forward to working on the important and fast-moving issues associated with the growing U.S.-China trade, economic and security relationship. These issues were an important focus of my time in the Senate and I look forward to continuing to examine them as a member of the Commission.

A copy of Mr. Thompson's bio follows. He may be reached at the Commission at 202-624-1409 or via email: kmichels@uscc.gov.

BIOGRAPHY

SENATOR FRED THOMPSON

Fred Thompson's service in the United States Senate (1994-2002) was a continuation of a distinguished career across both the public and private arenas. In his first campaign for public office, Thompson was elected by the people of Tennessee in 1994 to the remaining two years of an unexpired Senate term. When he was returned for a full term in 1996, he received more votes than any previous candidate for any office in Tennessee history. In 1997, Thompson was elected Chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, making him among the most junior senators in history to serve as Chairman of a major Senate Committee. He was also a member of the Finance Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Thompson chose not to run for re-election in 2002. He resumed his legal and consulting work; is a frequent speaker; and is a regular on the long-running TV drama, Law & Order. Thompson is a former President of the Federal City Council in Washington and a current member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is also a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute.

Prior to his election to the U. S. Senate, Thompson maintained law offices in Nashville and Washington and served as Special Counsel to both the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He is also the author of the Watergate memoir, At That Point In Time. Having grown up in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Thompson attended Memphis State University, where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science. He went on to receive a law degree from Vanderbilt University. Two years later, Thompson was named an Assistant United States Attorney and, at the age of 30, was appointed Minority Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, where he served in 1973 and 1974.

Thompson has appeared in 18 motion pictures, including feature roles in Cape Fear, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, and The Hunt for Red October. He has also appeared is numerous television series and movies.

Senator Thompson lives in Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. He has two sons, Tony and Daniel, and five grandchildren. In June of 2002, Thompson married Jeri Kehn, a political and media consultant. They have a daughter, Hayden, who was born in 2003.