Giant of the Law Received His Legal Training at Marquette

By the time he enrolled in Marquette Law School in 1942, Clifford Thompson had already lived a remarkable life. Reputedly 8 feet, 7 inches tall, Thompson had become internationally famous as a circus performer and Hollywood actor, but he had also spent much of his life as a dairy farmer and a travelling spokesman for Milwaukee’s Blatz Beer. He also liked skiing and basketball.

In spite of his remarkable height, he managed to live a surprisingly normal life. Twice married to women more than three feet shorter than he, Thompson decided to become a lawyer in his late 30’s. He completed the law course at Marquette in two years, graduating as a member of the war-time Class of 1944. He subsequently practiced law in Wisconsin, California, and Oregon.

A detailed account of his life and times, including photographs, can be found here.

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This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Matt Mitten

    Now that’s a tall tale!

  2. Gordon Hylton

    Additional information on Clifford Thompson, including videos of his first wedding and his life as a lawyer in Portland, Oregon can be found at http://www.thetallestman.com/cliffordthompson.htm

    Special thanks to Arjen Gnodde, the operator of thetallestman website, for calling this to my attention.

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