James Worth Thornton (September 19, 1906 – February 6, 1983, Virginia) was an American businessman and scion of the politically and socially connected Thorntons of Indiana. Thornton was the son of

Sir Henry Worth Thornton Sir Henry Worth Thornton, KBE (November 6, 1871 – March 14, 1933) was a businessman. Thornton served as general superintendent of the Long Island Rail Road from 1911 to 1914, general manager of the Great Eastern Railway in England from 1914 ...

and Virginia Blair, daughter of banker and steel magnate George Dike Blair. Thornton also appeared in the journals of noted essayist

Edmund Wilson Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes. He influenced many American authors, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose unfinished work he edited for publi ...

. Thornton was born into a prominent family in the railroad business and enjoyed a privileged childhood. After graduating from the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

, Ontario, while working in Europe, Thornton earned a reputation as an international playboy: he was reportedly an excellent polo player and prominent in social circles. While working for a firm in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, Germany, in 1931 Thornton married Helene-Marthe (Elena ) Mumm von Schwarzenstein, a German-Russian-French aristocrat and partial heir to the Mumm champagne fortune. Her maternal relations (the Struve family) were prominent Russian diplomats and astronomers. After marriage, Thornton served as Vice-President of the Mumm family’s American Incorporation. Thornton and Elena had one son: Henry Hermann Mumm Thornton, born 1932.

1932–1946

Shortly after marriage, James and

Elena Mumm Thornton Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Velik ...

moved to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

and, then, to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where Elena served as an assistant editor for ''

Town & Country (magazine) ''Town & Country'', formerly the ''Home Journal'' and ''The National Press'', is a monthly American lifestyle magazine. It is the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States. History Early history The magazine ...

''. While working as an editor, Elena met

, the prominent author and critic, and fell in love. In 1946, Elena and Edmund fled to

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, divorced their respective spouses, and married, creating a minor media sensation. Elena Mumm Thornton was Edmund Wilson’s fourth wife.

1950–1983

James W. Thornton joined the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

in 1950, retiring in 1958 upon marrying Martha Florence Armstrong, granddaughter of the 1st Baronet Armstrong. Until his death on February 6, 1983, Thornton moved frequently, living in New York City,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Thornton's grandchildren include Dr. Sandra Christine Thornton-Whitehouse, wife of

Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Attorney from 1993 to 1998 ...

, Senator from Rhode Island; Elena Thornton Kissel, wife of musician and producer, Michael Case Kissel, 3rd great grandson of

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

; Nina Rosalie McMann; and James Speno Mumm Thornton. He was a second cousin of silver screen actress Edna Goodrich and

Elcar The Elcar was an American automobile manufactured from 1915 until 1931. The car was produced by the Elkhart Carriage Company, owned by William and George Pratt, of Elkhart, Indiana, which had been in business for over 30 years before producing ...

Interim President

Arthur Martin Graffis Arthur Martin Graffis ("Mike")(October 13, 1885 in Logansport, Indiana – November 4, 1933) was an automotive engineer, serving as Chief Engineer of Auburn Automobile (1915–1922) and as Chief Engineer (1922–1932) and Interim President (1930) o ...

. His cousin,

Helen Thornton Geer Helen Thornton Geer (January 7, 1903 in New Castle, Pennsylvania – March 1983 in New Jersey) was a librarian and professor. She was the author of ''Charging Systems'', which detailed 17 of the different circulation control systems that were used ...

, was a prominent librarian and researcher. Through his maternal line, he was related to the powerful Cox family: billionaire heiresses

Anne Cox Chambers Anne Beau Cox Chambers (December 1, 1919 – January 31, 2020) was an American media proprietor, diplomat, and philanthropist who served as United States Ambassador to Belgium from 1977 to 1981. She co-owned the family company Cox Enterprises, ...

and

Barbara Cox Anthony Barbara Blair Cox Anthony (December 8, 1922 – May 28, 2007) was the youngest daughter of James M. Cox, a Democratic governor of Ohio, newspaper publisher and broadcaster. With her sister Anne Cox Chambers and her brother James M. Cox, Jr., she ...

were his second cousins.Kussart, S. The History of the Fifteenth Ward of the City of Pittsburgh; Suburban Printing Co., 1925

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, James Worth 1906 births 1983 deaths American socialites Royal Military College of Canada alumni Cox family