The Governor’s Office announced today that flags will fly half staff at the State Capitol on August 28, 2021 in honor of Carveth “Carv” Thompson. Thompson’s obituary can be read here.
Thompson, 88, served in the South Dakota State House from 1969-72, representing his home of Faith and the surrounding area. A pharmacist, Thompson owned drug stores at various times in Faith, Deadwood, McLaughlin, Phillip, Lead, Eagle Butte, and Lemmon.
Thompson was the Republican nominee for Governor of South Dakota in 1972. He won the Republican primary by a 72% to 28% margin against Simon W. Chance, a state representative and farmer from Scotland.
In the general election, Thompson faced Governor Richard F. Kneip, who was seeking his second two-year term. (The 1972 election would the last election for a two-year term for governor, as it became a four-year term in 1974.) Kneip was a popular incumbent and he won reelection by a margin of 60% to 40%.
Despite that loss, though, Thompson was a well-liked figure who for years hosted a radio show on KBHB radio in Faith. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2012.
In his last years, Thompson and his wife, Marg, relocated to Omaha to be closer to family, but he will always be a part of South Dakota’s political history.
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