James Riddle Thornton (February 22, 1853 – July 27, 1911) was an acting president of

Hampden–Sydney College gr, Ye Shall Know the Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts men's college , religious_affiliation = Presbyterian Church (USA) , endowment = $258 million (2021) , president = Larry Stimpert , city = Hampden Sydney, Virginia , cou ...

for two and a half weeks in 1904.

Biography

Thornton was born to Lieutenant Colonel John T. Thornton (

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

) and Martha Jane (née Riddle) Thornton in 1853 in

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...

. James Thornton had four brothers, two of which had notable careers: William M. Thornton — Professor of Applied Mathematics, Chairman of the Faculty, and Dean of Engineering at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

; and Harrison R. Thornton — a teacher and missionary in

Cape Prince of Wales Cape Prince of Wales (Russian: Мыс Принца Уэльского) () is the westernmost mainland point of the Americas. It was named in 1778 by Captain James Cook of the British Royal Navy, presumably for the Prince of Wales at the time, Geo ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

who was killed in 1893, the only missionary to Alaska slain by a native Alaskan. Thornton was the

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

, 1871 graduate of Hampden–Sydney College and also the principal of Prince Edward Academy in

Worsham, Virginia Worsham is an unincorporated community in Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. It served as the county seat of Prince Edward County from 1754 to 1872, and as a result a number of historic public buildings may still be found there. Amon ...

from 1873 to 1881 and a professor of Latin at Central University (now Eastern Kentucky University) from 1881 to 1883. 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. He was a brother of

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded by William Henry Letterman and Charles Page Thomas Moore in Widow Letterman's home on the campus of Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pen ...

and was the "Frater in Residence" while a professor at the college. 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. He married his wife, Maria Edmunds, on June 22, 1910."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 Thornton's childhood home known as "Thornton House" (built in 1756) was located in present-day

. After James's father, Colonel Thornton (also an alumnus of Hampden–Sydney) was killed in 1862 at the

Battle of Sharpsburg The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

, General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, James R. 1853 births 1911 deaths Hampden–Sydney College alumni Presidents of Hampden–Sydney College People from Farmville, Virginia