Background
Thompson, John A. was born on June 14, 1918 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Son of John Anderson and Grace George Thompson.
Thompson, John A. was born on June 14, 1918 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Son of John Anderson and Grace George Thompson.
Bachelor magna cum laude, Kenyon College, 1940. Master of Arts, Columbia University, 1947. Doctor of Philosophy, Columbia University, 1957.
Instructor English Bard College, New York, 1946—1947, Sarah Lawrence College, 1947—1948, Columbia University, New York City, 1949—1956. Executive director Fairfield Foundation, 1956—1965. Professor English State University of New York, Stony Brook, 1965—1983, professor English emeritus, from 1983.
Chairman African Literature panel Long Island University, New York, 1966. Judge for essays The First American Anthology, 1968.
(Poetry)
Married Helen Louise Keeler, June 1943 (divorced 1962). Children: Louise Steketee, Keeler George, Peter Spaulding(deceased). Married Susan Otis Thompson, December 29, 1962.