Richard Hopwood Thornton papers, 1855-1932

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Thornton, Richard H. (Richard Hopwood), 1845-1925
Title
Richard Hopwood Thornton papers
Dates
1855-1932 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 cubic feet, (2 document cases; 1 oversize folder in shared box)
Collection Number
Mss 801
Summary
Papers of the first dean of the University of Oregon School of Law. The collection includes personal documents, biographical and genealogical information, writings, notes, reminiscences, and a small amount of correspondence relating to Episcopal missionary work. It also includes writings of Richard H. Thornton's father, William L. Thornton.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English, Latin

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Richard Hopwood Thornton was born in 1845 in Didebury, Lancashire, England, and was the son of William L. Thornton, a prominent English Wesleyan clergyman and Latin tutor. After attending New Kingswood School near Bath, Richard H. Thornton passed the entrance examination for Oxford University in 1862, but instead entered a London business house. After a visit to Paris in 1870, he went to Canada in 1871; there, he taught school in various places. Receiving a small legacy from his mother in 1874, he traveled throughout North America, attended the Columbia University law school in Washington, and was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia in 1878. The previous year, he had married Martha Sproul, with whom he had one child, who died in infancy.

In 1884, Thornton received an invitation from Judge Matthew P. Deady to come to Oregon and serve as the first dean of the University of Oregon law school. Thornton accepted the position and held the post in Portland for the next 19 years. After his retirement in 1903, he traveled in Europe with his wife, and after her death he moved to London in 1907. There, he compiled the work "An American Glossary," which was published in 1912. He returned to the U.S. in 1916 and eventually took up residence again in Portland, Oregon, where he died in January 1925.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The papers in this collection consist primarily of drafts of Richard H. Thornton's writings, along with extensive notes. Included among the writings are his notes for a full-length autobiography and an account by Thornton's father, William L. Thornton, about a visit to America in 1864. Also included in the collection is a small file of correspondence relating to Episcopal Church missions, along with personal documents and obituaries of Richard H. Thornton.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Richard Hopwood Thornton papers, Mss 801, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series:

  • Series 1: Personal documents and obituaries, 1879-1932
  • Series 2: Writings and notes, circa 1855-1925

Acquisition Information

Gift of Medford Reed, January 1960 (Lib. Acc. 8460).

Processing Note

Collection was processed by Trudy Williams, and a collection guide prepared by Geoffrey B. Wexler in 2007. Minor revisions were made to the collection guide in July 2024 to conform to current standard.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1:  Personal documents and obituaries, 1879-1932Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1
Birthday greetings to "May"
1904
1 2
Certificates
1879-1884
Folder
Oversize 1
Certificates
Includes naturalization documents and law school diploma.
1878-1916
Box Folder
1 3
Diocese of Oregon--Lay Reader license
1920
1 4
Episcopal Church mission correspondence, including Davenport Fund letters
1895-1924
1 5
Richard H. Thornton estate ledger, including last will and testament
1925-1927
1 6-8
Obituaries of Richard H. Thornton
1925; 1932

Series 2:  Writings and notes, 1855-1925Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 9
"America, Republican and British" by William Lockwood Thornton (Richard Thornton's father)
Includes brief account of Thornton's trip to America in 1864.
circa 1864
1 10
Course curriculum, London
circa 1860
1 11
European tour notes
circa 1903
1 12
"The land where lost things go"--Manuscript of a story or novel
circa 1900
1 13
Memorandum index
1891
1 14
"A model Danish" (manuscript)
1893
2 1
Notes, index
circa 1900
2 2
Oates, Titus--Trials, history
undated
2 3
Record of pulpit exercises of William Lockwood Thornton, London
circa 1860
2 4-6
Reminiscences of Richard Hopwood Thornton--Notes and drafts with documents laid in
circa 1855-1900
2 7
Short essays, "The last things"
1919
2 8
Southcott, Joanna--Writings (printed)
1915; 1923
2 9
Speech at Greenville by Richard H. Thornton
circa 1902
2 10
"Things which vex an eccentric layman"
undated
2 11
"Thoughts about sermons, II"
undated
2 12
"War verses" (printed)
1914 August
2 13
Writings, general
undated
2 14
Writings and copies of poems
1866-1870

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Personal Names

  • Thornton, Richard H. (Richard Hopwood), 1845-1925
  • Thornton, William L. (William Lockwood), 1811-1865

Corporate Names

  • Episcopal Church--Oregon

Family Names

  • Hopwood family
  • Thornton family

Form or Genre Terms

  • certificates
  • correspondence
  • reminiscences

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Thornton, William L. (William Lockwood), 1811-1865 (author)