Thomas Patrick Thornton (March 8, 1898 – July 1, 1985) was a United States federal judge

United States federal judge

In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....

.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, Thornton received an LL.B. from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1926. He was in private practice in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 from 1926 to 1937. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Michigan from 1937 to 1944. He was a Chief assistant U.S. attorney of Eastern District of Michigan from 1944 to 1947. He was the United States Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1947 to 1949.

Thornton was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan is the Federal district court with jurisdiction over of the eastern portion of the state of Michigan. The Court is based in Detroit, with courthouses also located in Ann Arbor, Bay City, Flint, and Port Huron...

. Thornton was nominated by President Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...

 on January 13, 1949, to a seat vacated by Ernest Aloysius O'Brien

Ernest Aloysius O'Brien

Ernest Aloysius O'Brien was a United States federal judge.Born in Detroit, Michigan, O'Brien received a B.A. from Detroit College in 1898 and an LL.B. from Detroit College of Law in 1905. He was in private practice in Detroit from 1906 to 1928...

. He was confirmed by the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 on January 31, 1949, and received his commission on February 2, 1949. He assumed senior status

Senior status

Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...

 on February 15, 1966. Thornton served in that capacity until July 1, 1985, due to his death.

Sources