James R. Thornton

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James R. Thornton
James R Thornton 1909.png
James R. Thornton
President of Hampden–Sydney College
Preceded byRichard McIlwaine
Succeeded byW. H. Whiting, Jr. (Acting)
In office
July 1, 1904 – July 19, 1904
Personal details
Born(1853-02-22)February 22, 1853
Farmville, Virginia
DiedJuly 27, 1911(1911-07-27) (aged 58)
Hampden Sydney, Virginia
Spouse(s)Maria Edmunds
Alma materA.B. Hampden–Sydney College
M.A.
ProfessionProfessor

James Riddle Thornton (February 22, 1853 – July 27, 1911) was an acting President of Hampden–Sydney College for two-and-a-half weeks in 1904.

Biography[]

Thornton was born to Lieutenant Colonel (CSA) and Martha Jane (née Riddle) Thornton in 1853 in Farmville, Virginia. James Thornton had two brothers, William M. Thornton — Professor of Applied Mathematics, Chairman of the Faculty, and Dean of Engineering at the University of Virginia; and Harrison R. Thornton — a teacher and missionary in Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska who was killed in 1893, the only missionary to Alaska slain by a native Alaskan.[1]

Thornton was the valedictorian, 1871 graduate of Hampden–Sydney College and also the principal of Prince Edward Academy in Worsham, Virginia from 1873 to 1881 and a professor of Latin at Central University (now Eastern Kentucky University) from 1881 to 1883.[2]

Thornton later went on to be a professor of mathematics, an Instructor of Engineering, and the Treasurer at Hampden–Sydney College for a total of twenty-five years, starting in 1884.[2] He was a brother of Phi Kappa Psi and was the "Frater in Residence" while a professor at the college.[3] Known as "Uncle Jamie" to his students, Thornton was a beloved figure at the college and was presented with an award by the senior class of 1909 to honor Thornton's twenty-five years of service to the institution.[2] He married his wife, Maria Edmunds, on June 22, 1910.[4]

Thornton's childhood home known as "Thornton House" (built in 1756) was located in present-day Farmville, Virginia.[1] After James's father, Colonel Thornton (also an alumnus of Hampden–Sydney) was killed in 1862 at the Battle of Sharpsburg, General Robert E. Lee made a brief condolence visit to the widow and children of Colonel Thornton at Thornton House on April 7, 1865 — in the midst of Lee's Retreat.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Walking Tour of Farmville" (PDF). Longwood University. Longwood University. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 2, 2014. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Hampden–Sydney College (1909). Kaleidoscope. Vol. 1909. Hampden–Sydney, VA: Hampden–Sydney College. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  3. ^ Hampden–Sydney College (1897). Kaleidoscope. Vol. 1897. Hampden–Sydney, VA: Hampden–Sydney College. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  4. ^ "Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XRW1-VMR : accessed 27 Oct 2014), James Riddle Thornton and Maria Edmunds, 22 Jun 1910; citing Prince Edward, Virginia, reference line 41, p. 129; FHL microfilm 33256
Academic offices
Preceded by President of Hampden–Sydney College
1904 		Succeeded by
W. H. Whiting, Jr.
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