Biography · Biography & Culture

McKinley Thompson Jr.

1922–2006

United States

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Biography

McKinley William Thompson Jr. (November 8, 1922 – March 8, 2006) was the first African American automotive designer, and he was the first African American Designer to work at the Ford Motor Company. Thompson was a designer on the first generation Ford Bronco, and also was a designer on the first generation Ford Mustang, Ford Thunderbird, and Ford GT40 racing car.

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Sources & collection details

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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