Jacob Montgomery Thornburgh
Encyclopedia
Jacob Montgomery Thornburgh (July 3, 1837– September 19, 1890) was an American
attorney and politician who represented Tennessee's 2nd congressional district
in the United States House of Representatives
from 1873 to 1879. The son of a prominent state legislator, Thornburgh fought in the Union Army
during the Civil War
, and served as attorney general
of the state's third judicial district after the war. Following his congressional term, he formed a law partnership with several prominent Knoxville attorneys, and engaged in philanthropy.
in Jefferson County
. His father, Montgomery Thornburgh, was a Tennessee state senator and attorney general. He attended Holston College (in New Market), and studied law under his father and Judge Robert McFarland. He was admitted to the bar
in 1861, after which he commenced practice in Jefferson County.
and enlisted as a private in a brigade commanded by General George W. Morgan
. On July 11, 1863, he was promoted to a lieutenant colonel
in the 4th Tennessee Cavalry
. He saw action at the Battle of Okolona
, and led one of the first units into Mobile, Alabama
, after the city fell in 1865. Thornburgh's father, a prominent Unionist, was arrested by Confederate authorities during the war and died in a Confederate prison in Georgia
.
Thornburgh was appointed attorney general
of the third judicial circuit of Tennessee in 1866, and was elected to this office in 1868 and 1870. In spite of his family's hardships during the war, he was conciliatory in his actions toward former Confederates, and briefly practiced law with his old mentor, Robert McFarland, who had supported the Confederacy. In 1872, Thornburgh was appointed United States commissioner at the International Exposition held in Vienna
, Austria
.
-controlled legislature gerrymandered the 2nd Congressional District in hopes of breaking Republicans' electoral dominance in the district. Sensing defeat, the district's Republican congressman, Horace Maynard
, withdrew from the race for the 2nd District seat and instead ran for the state's at-large district
seat. Thornburgh accepted the Republican Party's nomination for the 2nd District seat, and in spite of the Democrats' redistricting efforts, managed to win the seat in the general election.
In the election of 1874, Leonidas C. Houk
challenged Thornburgh for the Republican nomination for the 2nd District's seat. After a very competitive campaign, both candidates claimed the nomination, and both intended to run in the general election, which would have split the Republican vote and threaten the party's hold on the seat. Senator William G. Brownlow
, by this time a revered figure among East Tennesseans, intervened on Thornburgh's behalf, and Houk withdrew, allowing Thornburgh to coast to an easy victory. Thornburgh ran unchallenged in 1876, and decided not to seek reelection in 1878.
, author of the McGuffey Readers
), and later formed a partnership with future Supreme Court justice Edward Terry Sanford
. In 1889, Thornburgh dontated a large number of books to the burgeoning Lawson McGhee Library
.
Thornburgh died on September 19, 1890, and was interred
in Old Gray Cemetery. His daughter, Laura Thornburgh, was a journalist and author, perhaps best known for publishing one of the first hiking guides to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
in 1937. His son, John Minnis Thornburgh, was a prominent Knoxville lawyer and Republican Party leader during the early 20th century.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney and politician who represented Tennessee's 2nd congressional district
Tennessee's 2nd congressional district
The 2nd congressional district of Tennessee is a congressional district in Tennessee. It currently includes the east central part of the state....
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from 1873 to 1879. The son of a prominent state legislator, Thornburgh fought in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and served as attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of the state's third judicial district after the war. Following his congressional term, he formed a law partnership with several prominent Knoxville attorneys, and engaged in philanthropy.
Early life
Thornburgh was born in New Market, TennesseeNew Market, Tennessee
New Market is a town in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,234 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Market is located at ....
in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Tennessee
*...
. His father, Montgomery Thornburgh, was a Tennessee state senator and attorney general. He attended Holston College (in New Market), and studied law under his father and Judge Robert McFarland. He was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1861, after which he commenced practice in Jefferson County.
Civil War and aftermath
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Thornburgh fled to KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and enlisted as a private in a brigade commanded by General George W. Morgan
George W. Morgan
George Washington Morgan was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He fought in the Texas Revolution and the Mexican-American War, and was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
. On July 11, 1863, he was promoted to a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in the 4th Tennessee Cavalry
4th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry
The 4th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. This regiment was originally recruited as the 4th East Tennessee Cavalry.-Service:...
. He saw action at the Battle of Okolona
Battle of Okolona
The Battle of Okolona took place on February 22, 1864, in Chickasaw County, Mississippi, between Confederate and Union forces during the American Civil War. Confederate cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, faced over 7,000 cavalry under the command of Brig. Gen...
, and led one of the first units into Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, after the city fell in 1865. Thornburgh's father, a prominent Unionist, was arrested by Confederate authorities during the war and died in a Confederate prison in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Thornburgh was appointed attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of the third judicial circuit of Tennessee in 1866, and was elected to this office in 1868 and 1870. In spite of his family's hardships during the war, he was conciliatory in his actions toward former Confederates, and briefly practiced law with his old mentor, Robert McFarland, who had supported the Confederacy. In 1872, Thornburgh was appointed United States commissioner at the International Exposition held in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Congressional career
In the early 1870s, Tennessee's DemocratDemocratic 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...
-controlled legislature gerrymandered the 2nd Congressional District in hopes of breaking Republicans' electoral dominance in the district. Sensing defeat, the district's Republican congressman, Horace Maynard
Horace Maynard
Horace Maynard was an American educator, attorney, politician and diplomat active primarily in the second half of the 19th century...
, withdrew from the race for the 2nd District seat and instead ran for the state's at-large district
Tennessee's At-large congressional district
-1796 – 1813: One, then three seats :Tennessee began with one seat in 1796. It was apportioned two more seats in 1803. With the addition of two representatives following the 1800 Census, all three seats were elected 'General Ticket' state-wide for the 8th Congress...
seat. Thornburgh accepted the Republican Party's nomination for the 2nd District seat, and in spite of the Democrats' redistricting efforts, managed to win the seat in the general election.
In the election of 1874, Leonidas C. Houk
Leonidas C. Houk
Leonidas Campbell Houk was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 2nd congressional district of Tennessee...
challenged Thornburgh for the Republican nomination for the 2nd District's seat. After a very competitive campaign, both candidates claimed the nomination, and both intended to run in the general election, which would have split the Republican vote and threaten the party's hold on the seat. Senator William G. Brownlow
William Gannaway Brownlow
William Gannaway "Parson" Brownlow was an American newspaper editor, minister, and politician who served as Governor of the state of Tennessee from 1865 to 1869 and as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1869 to 1875...
, by this time a revered figure among East Tennesseans, intervened on Thornburgh's behalf, and Houk withdrew, allowing Thornburgh to coast to an easy victory. Thornburgh ran unchallenged in 1876, and decided not to seek reelection in 1878.
Later life
Thornburgh largely retired from political life after 1879, although he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1880. He returned to Knoxville and formed a law partnership with Charles D. McGuffey (a nephew of William Holmes McGuffeyWilliam Holmes McGuffey
William Holmes McGuffey was an American professor and college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, one of the nation's first and most widely used series of textbooks...
, author of the McGuffey Readers
McGuffey Readers
McGuffey Readers were a series of graded primers that were widely used as textbooks in American schools from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, and are still used today in some private schools and in homeschooling....
), and later formed a partnership with future Supreme Court justice Edward Terry Sanford
Edward Terry Sanford
Edward Terry Sanford was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1930. Prior to his nomination to the high court, Sanford served as an Assistant Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1907, and...
. In 1889, Thornburgh dontated a large number of books to the burgeoning Lawson McGhee Library
Lawson McGhee Public Library
The Lawson McGhee Public Library is the main library for Knoxville, Tennessee. It is located at 500 West Church Avenue in downtown Knoxville. The Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the East Tennessee Historical Center and numerous library branches are also associated with the Lawson McGhee Public...
.
Thornburgh died on September 19, 1890, and was interred
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
in Old Gray Cemetery. His daughter, Laura Thornburgh, was a journalist and author, perhaps best known for publishing one of the first hiking guides to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
in 1937. His son, John Minnis Thornburgh, was a prominent Knoxville lawyer and Republican Party leader during the early 20th century.