Daniel I.J. Thornton was a United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 cattle breeder and Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who served as the 33rd Governor of the State of Colorado from 1951 to 1955.

Daniel Isaac J. Thornton was born in Hall County, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, on January 31, 1911. Thornton graduated from Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...

) in Lubbock

Lubbock, Texas

Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...

 and the University of California at Los Angeles and married Jessie Willock. In 1937, the Thorntons purchased a cattle ranch near Springerfield, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

, and in 1941 they moved their cattle operation to a ranch near Gunnison

Gunnison, Colorado

The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...

, Colorado. The Thorntons developed the Thornton Triumphant Hereford

Hereford

Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...

 cattle

Cattle

Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...

 strain. In 1948, Thornton was elected to the Colorado State Senate.

In 1950, Thornton defeated incumbent Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Governor

Governor of Colorado

The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...

 Walter Johnson

Walter Walford Johnson

Walter Walford Johnson was a United States businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 32nd Governor of the State of Colorado from 1950 to 1951....

. Governor Thornton was famous for his Stetson hat, pipe, and cowboy boots. Thornton served as governor for two two-year terms. In 1952 he was one of five people on the short list for the Republican vice presidential nomination. Dwight Eisenhower, like Thornton Texas-born, instead chose Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

, a freshman U.S. senator from California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. (Richard Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician. Roger Morris. Pg. 726)

In 1956 Thornton was under discussion for a cabinet appointment. He was the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Colorado that year, but was narrowly defeated by John A. Carroll

John A. Carroll

John Albert Carroll was a Democratic United States Representative and United States Senator from Colorado. Born in Denver, he attended the public schools, and during the First World War served in the United States Army...

.

Dan Thornton died of a heart attack in Carmel, California, on January 19, 1976.

Governor Thornton is the namesake of the City of Thornton

Thornton, Colorado

The city of Thornton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado and a suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is northeast of the state's capital, Denver. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...

 outside Denver

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

, Colorado. In 2008, he was listed among the "100 Most Influential People" from Lubbock, as part of the city centennial observation.

See also

• History of Colorado
  History of Colorado
  The human history of Colorado extends back more than 13,000 years. The region that is today the state of Colorado was first inhabited by Native Americans...
  
  
• Law and government of Colorado
  Law and Government of Colorado
  The Constitution of the State of Colorado provides for three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches.-Sovereignty of the people:...
  
  
• List of Governors of Colorado
• State of Colorado
• Thornton, Colorado
  Thornton, Colorado
  The city of Thornton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado and a suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is northeast of the state's capital, Denver. The United States Census Bureau that the city population...
  
  

External links

• The Governors of Colorado
  • The Governor Daniel I.J. Thornton Collection at the Colorado State Archives

Further reading

• American Hereford Journal. Kansas City, Mo.: Hereford Publications.
• Daniel I. J. Thornton Manuscript Collection. Colorado Historical Society. Denver, Co.
• Daniel I. J. Thornton Newspaper Clippings Collection. Denver Public Library. Western History Collection. Denver, Co.
• Gunnison County Stockgrowers Since 1894 : Tops in Cattle. Denver, Co.: Colorado Cattlemen's Association, 1967.