Following his military service, Thompson became a journalist whose long career carried him into politics at both the state and national levels. In 1949, after returning to civilian life, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls. Following a stint as a reporter for the Wichita Falls Record News, he joined United Press International in their Dallas office. He was later named manager of the Houston UPI office. In 1962, he moved to Austin to become bureau manager and chief UPI political writer in Texas. The following year, he was named press secretary to Governor John B. Connally and later became press secretary to U.S. Senator John G. Tower in Washington. He returned to Texas to take charge of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial page until his retirement in 1987. The Thompsons then made their home in Austin, where he served as secretary of the Lost Battalion Association and was active in several statewide political campaigns. Kyle Thompson passed away in 2004 and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.
