Dr. Robert Franklin Thompson served as President of the University of Puget Sound for 31 years, 1942 to 1973, and five years as Chancellor. Thompson was a native of Nebraska and graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University. He earned his Master's and PhD degrees in Divinity from Drew University. He was an ordained Methodist clergyman and active in the church nationally and internationally. He was president of the National Association of Methodist Colleges and Universities and a member of the Financial Commission of the Association of American Colleges.

He served as Vice President, Dean of Freshmen and Classics Professor at Willamette University, 1937 to 1942. He served as former Chaplain of the Oregon State Senate and Chairman of the Oregon Methodist Conference Board of Education.

In Tacoma, Thompson served as president of the Rotary Club and the World Affairs Council and as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Puget Sound, Pacific First Federal Savings and Loan Association, Washington State Historical Society, and Tacoma General Hospital. He was chosen to serve as a panel member for the selection of the President's White House Fellows in 1975. For several years he served on the Rhodes Scholar Selection Committee. Thompson is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Religion and other biographical sources.