Tony, one of the nation’s foremost environmental law attorneys and a heck of a nice guy, died May 31, 2022, in his Boynton Beach, Fla., home of a stroke following complications of hip surgery.

Tony came to Princeton from Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C., where he was president of the student government, an All-Met basketball point guard, and co-captain of the tennis team. At Princeton, he majored in history, wrote his thesis on “The History of the 23rd Amendment,” and graduated magna sum laude. He was captain of the freshman tennis team, a three-year member of the varsity tennis team, and a member of the Air Force ROTC. He belonged to Cannon Club and roomed with Bud Miller, Dick Williams, and Dick Parker.

Following Princeton, Tony earned a law degree from the University of Virginia, then served in the Air Force for four years as a captain in the JAG Corps. Following his service, he had a distinguished law career starting with the Federal Communications Commission. He ultimately opened his own practice, Thompson & Pugsley, working with organizations such as the American Mining Congress and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where he represented much of the U.S. uranium production.

Tony was active in Republican politics, serving as an advance man for President Gerald Ford in 1975-76 and as a lead advance man for George H.W. Bush in 1980 and for Reagan–Bush in 1984. He served on many boards and was a passionate fan of Redskins football, rock ’n’ roll music, tennis, golf, and his family and friends.

Tony is survived by his son, Anthony Jr.; daughter Nicole T. Vereen; and five grandchildren. His wife of 45 years, Jacqueline Anne (Jan) Thompson, predeceased him in 2015.

Class Year: 
Undergraduate Class of 1963