Thomas Patrick Thornton

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American judge

title: "Thomas Patrick Thornton" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1898-births", "1985-deaths", "lawyers-from-boston", "military-personnel-from-massachusetts", "university-of-detroit-mercy-alumni", "judges-of-the-united-states-district-court-for-the-eastern-district-of-michigan", "united-states-district-court-judges-appointed-by-harry-s.-truman", "people-from-grosse-pointe-shores,-michigan", "assistant-united-states-attorneys"] description: "American judge" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Patrick_Thornton" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American judge ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameThomas Patrick Thornton
imageJudge Thomas Patrick Thornton.jpg
officeSenior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
term_startFebruary 15, 1966
term_endJuly 1, 1985
office1Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
term_start1February 2, 1949
term_end1February 15, 1966
appointer1Harry S. Truman
predecessor1Ernest Aloysius O'Brien
successor1Damon Keith
birth_nameThomas Patrick Thornton
birth_date
birth_placeBoston, Massachusetts
death_date
death_placeDetroit, Michigan
resting_placeMount Olivet Cemetery
Detroit, Michigan
educationUniversity of Detroit Mercy School of Law (LL.B.)
::

| honorific-prefix = | name = Thomas Patrick Thornton | honorific-suffix = | image = Judge Thomas Patrick Thornton.jpg | alt = | caption = | office = Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | term_start = February 15, 1966 | term_end = July 1, 1985 | office1 = Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan | term_start1 = February 2, 1949 | term_end1 = February 15, 1966 | nominator1 = | appointer1 = Harry S. Truman | predecessor1 = Ernest Aloysius O'Brien | successor1 = Damon Keith | pronunciation = | birth_name = Thomas Patrick Thornton | birth_date = | birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts | death_date = | death_place = Detroit, Michigan | death_cause = | resting_place = Mount Olivet Cemetery Detroit, Michigan | resting_place_coordinates = | citizenship = | nationality = | party = | otherparty = | height = | spouse = | partner = | relations = | children = | parents = | mother = | father = | relatives = | residence = | education = University of Detroit Mercy School of Law (LL.B.) | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | known_for = | salary = | net_worth = | cabinet = | committees = | portfolio = | awards = | signature = | signature_alt = | website = | footnotes =

Thomas Patrick Thornton (March 8, 1898 – July 1, 1985) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Judge_Thomas_P_Thornton_Honorary_Degree_(1977).jpg" caption="Thomas Thornton was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Detroit"] ::

Thornton served as a fireman in the United States Navy during World War I. He entered Tufts University in 1919 and so distinguished himself as a fullback on the football team that he was recruited by Fordham University the following year. A year later he was recruited by Syracuse University, and in 1922 he moved west to the University of Detroit to play fullback and quarterback for the Titans. In 1924 he was considered the University of Detroit's finest all time running back. His 1924 team out-scored its opponents by 140 points to 38 points, competing against schools such as Army, Michigan State, Fordham, Boston College, and Tulane.

His tenacity and aggressiveness on the football field earned him the nickname of "Tiger".

"Tiger" Thornton graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 1926 with a Bachelor of Laws. He was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Detroit Mercy on May 21, 1977.

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Thomas_Thornton,_District_Attorney.jpg" caption="Thomas Thornton when he served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan (1947–1949)"] ::

After earning his law degree at the University of Detroit in 1926, Thornton spent the summer on Mackinac Island teaching swimming. On returning to Detroit he entered private practice with Tom "Tucker" Kennedy in the Donovan Building, and later partnered with Ed Herlehy in establishing the law firm of Herlehy & Thornton located in Detroit's Hammond Building.

In 1937, on the recommendation of United States Senator Prentiss M. Brown, Thornton was appointed an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. He served as Assistant United States Attorney from 1937 to 1944, and served as Chief Assistant to United States Attorney John C. Lehr from 1944 to 1947. Upon Lehr's retirement in 1947, and on the recommendation of United States Attorney General Tom C. Clark, Thornton was appointed the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Federal judicial service

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Thomas_P.Thornton-Circuit_Court_of_Appeals(1937).jpg" caption="Appointment of Thomas P. Thornton by the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on December 7, 1937."] ::

Thornton was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on January 13, 1949, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Judge Ernest Aloysius O'Brien. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 31, 1949, and received his commission on February 2, 1949. Chief Judge Arthur F. Lederle delivered the oath of office on February 15, 1949. Thornton assumed senior status on February 15, 1966, serving in that status until his death on July 1, 1985. On July 3, 1985, federal courts in Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, and Bay City, Michigan were closed in honor of Thornton.

Judicial demeanor

Thornton was known for his directness, and also for his humor on the bench. Before appointing trustees to manage the bankrupt F.L. Jacobs Company he minced no words in describing the company's prior operations as a "cesspool of violations." On a lighter note when a defendant once said "the Lord told me what to do" Judge Thornton turned to the prosecutor and asked, "Are you sure that you have indicted the right defendant?"

His dedication to his work was recognized in the Congressional Record by Senator Robert P. Griffin in 1975. Senator Griffin noted that Federal judges could retire with full pay at age 70, going on to say about Thornton: "Seven years ago he turned 70 - but rather than take a well deserved retirement, he choose to be a senior judge - and to go on trying cases." Thornton continued trying cases for another 10 years after that was written, until his death on July 1, 1985, at the age of 87.

Judge Cornelia Kennedy reflecting on the career of Judge Thornton said, "He was a really great judge. He was extremely kind to me when I first went on the bench. And though he was serious about his work, I won't ever forget his wonderful sense of humor."

The Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/The_Incorporated_Society_of_Irish-American_Lawyers_(1978).jpg" caption="Founders of the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers (1978). Seated (L to R): Judge Vincent J. Brennan, Peter E. O'Rourke, Judge Thomas P. Thornton (President), Jerome P. Cavanagh, Alvin A. Rutledge. Standing (L to R): Edmund M. Brady, Jr., Judge John H. Gillis, Judge Patrick J. Duggan, Judge Joseph B. Sullivan."] ::

Thornton was proud of his Irish heritage, and in 1978 founded the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers along with Judge Vincent J. Brennan, Peter E. O'Rourke, Jerome P. Cavanagh, Alvin A. Rutledge, Edmund M. Brady, Jr., Judge John H. Gillis, Judge Patrick J. Duggan, Judge Joseph B. Sullivan, William L. Cahalan, Alexander B. McGarry, Peter E. Deegan, Paul J. O'Reilly, and Nathan B. Goodnow, Judge Michael J. Kelly, Patrick E. Hackett, and Daniel F. Curran. According to Thornton, the Society was founded "to work for improvements in the administration of justice and advancements in jurisprudence" and further to provide "a forum for an exchange of ideas and information and a setting for sociability." Thornton was elected the first president of the Society.

Just four years after its founding, the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers had over 600 members. Each year, the Incorporated Society of Irish-American Lawyers awards a scholarship in the name of is founding president, Judge Thomas P. Thornton.

Personal life

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Thomas_Thornton_and_Rose_Garland_Thornton_at_their_wedding.jpg" caption="Rose Garland and Thomas Thornton at their wedding (1980)"] ::

Thornton was born March 8, 1898, in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents, Patrick Thornton and Sarah O'Maley Thornton, were Irish immigrants. As a young boy Thornton spent all the time he could on the Boston waterfront, and developed a lifelong love of boats and boating.

Thornton married Margaret M. Pressey (née Beaudin) in 1946 and always called her "Honey". They lived in an apartment at 8905 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, but in the summer they would close the apartment and live aboard their cabin cruiser (named "Honey") which they kept at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle. Thornton loved venturing on the Great Lakes. His favorite port was Mackinac Island where he served for many years as the Commodore of the Mackinac Island Yacht Club. Tom and Margaret Thornton enjoyed 30 years of marriage, until Margaret's death in 1976.

In 1980 Judge Thornton married Rose Garland, the widow of a long-time friend of Thornton's, Harry G. Garland, who died in 1972. They were married at St. Paul's on the Lake, a Roman Catholic church that the judge deeply loved, and had attended for over 40 years. In 1987 Rose Garland Thornton was elected to the Grosse Pointe Shores Village Council where she served her community until 2008, and held the position of Mayor Pro-Tem from 2003 to 2008. Rose Garland Thornton died on April 26, 2014.

References

Sources

References

  1. Morris, Frank. (August 17, 1947). "Post Assured For Thornton". Detroit Times.
  2. (16 September 1956). "'Tiger' Thornton Hit Town in '22". Detroit Free Press Roto Magazine.
  3. (1987). "The Federal Reporter, Second Series". West Publishing Co..
  4. "University Honors". University of Detroit Mercy.
  5. (February 28, 1974). "Senior Federal Judges Bring Varied Experiences to Bench". The Legal Advertiser.
  6. (January 13, 1949). "Thornton Appointed U.S. Judge by Truman". The Detroit News.
  7. (February 15, 1949). "Thornton Takes Oath as Judge". The Detroit Times.
  8. "Judges of the United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan". Historical Society United States District Court Eastern District of Michigan.
  9. (July 2, 1985). "Federal Judge Thornton dies; mourned by legal community". The Detroit News.
  10. . (March 28, 1959). "Court Holds Jacobs Co. in Detroit". *Detroit Free Press*.
  11. Foley, Eileen. (November 30, 1975). "He's a Master At One-Liners". Detroit Free Press.
  12. Griffin, Robert. (December 2, 1975). "Judge Thomas P. Thornton". Congressional Record.
  13. (February 23, 1978). "Lawyers of Irish Ancestry Form Society". The Legal Advertiser.
  14. (June 1998). "Incorporated Society of Irish/American Lawyers Marks Its 21st Year". Michigan Bar Journal.
  15. "Scholarships". Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers.
  16. (April 23, 1951). "Judge Thornton Likes to Live on the River". Detroit Free Press.
  17. (January 13, 1949). "Thornton On U. S. Bench". Detroit Times.
  18. (March 19, 1980). "Judge Thornton Will Wed In April". Detroit Legal News.
  19. (July 2, 1985). "Judge earned a reputation for tenacity". Detroit Free Press.
  20. (9 January 2025). "Locate a Loved One".
  21. "Rose Garland Thornton". Grosse Pointe News.

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1898-births1985-deathslawyers-from-bostonmilitary-personnel-from-massachusettsuniversity-of-detroit-mercy-alumnijudges-of-the-united-states-district-court-for-the-eastern-district-of-michiganunited-states-district-court-judges-appointed-by-harry-s.-trumanpeople-from-grosse-pointe-shores,-michiganassistant-united-states-attorneys