| Richard Ewell Thornton | |
|---|---|
 Thornton (c. 1912) | |
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the 14th district | |
| In office January 8, 1908 – January 14, 1920 | |
| Preceded by | Lewis H. Machen |
| Succeeded by | Walter T. Oliver |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1865-01-07)January 7, 1865 Brentsville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | March 27, 1928(1928-03-27) (aged 63) Fairfax County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Susan Conte Plummer (m. 1891) |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia School of Law |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1919–1920 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | J.A.G. Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Richard Ewell Thornton (January 7, 1865 – March 27, 1928) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as a member of the Virginia Senate, representing the state's 14th district from 1908 to 1920.
Early life
Richard Ewell Thornton was born on January 7, 1865, in Brentsville, Virginia, to William Willis Thornton. His father served in the Confederate States Army and was a superintendent of schools in Prince William County. His family moved to Fairfax County in his childhood. He studied law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in Fairfax County in 1891. His brother J. B. T. Thornton was a judge of the circuit court in Fairfax, Arlington and Prince William counties.
Career
Thornton practiced law in Fairfax County. He organized the Fairfax County Bar Association and served as its first president.
Thornton served as a member of the state senate from January 1908 to January 1920.
On April 11, 1919, Thornton was commissioned to the U.S. Army as a major in the judge advocate general's office in the U.S. Department of War. He served during World War I. He compiled and annotated a list of military laws into The Military Laws of the United States during his service. He was honorably discharged on September 30, 1920.
Thornton served as the first president and later as vice president of the Fairfax National Bank. The bank was organized in 1902.
Personal life
Thornton married Sue Conte Plummer of Prince George's County, Maryland, on June 25, 1891. They did not have children. Thornton was a vestryman of Zion Episcopal Church.
Thornton was hospitalized at Providence Hospital and later died on March 27, 1928, at his home in Fairfax, Virginia. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
References
- ^ "Maj. Thornton Dies at Home". The Evening Star. March 28, 1928. p. 7. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "R. E. Thornton Dies at Home in Fairfax". The Richmond News Leader. March 28, 1928. p. 28. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Thornton, R.E (1921). Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (ed.). "Thornton Family". Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine. 4 (2). Richmond: Whittet & Shepperson: 126.
- Swem, Earl G. (1918). Register of the General Assembly of Virginia, 1776–1918. Richmond: Virginia State Library. p. 437.
- Dodson, E. Griffith (1939). The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1919-1939: Register. Richmond: Virginia State Library. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
External links
Media related to R. Ewell Thornton at Wikimedia Commons- R. Ewell Thornton at The Virginia Elections and State Elected Officials Database Project, 1776-2007
| Offices and distinctions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
- 1865 births
- 1928 deaths
- People from Brentsville, Virginia
- University of Virginia School of Law alumni
- Democratic Party Virginia state senators
- Virginia lawyers
- 19th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American lawyers
- American bank presidents
- United States Army personnel of World War I
- Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
- Episcopalians from Virginia
- 20th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly