Charles Jonas Thornton

Who was Charles Jonas Thornton?

Charles Jonas Thornton was a political figure in Durham, Ontario.

He was born in Clarke Township, Ontario and was a farmer. He was elected to the township council and served on the body for seven years. He also served on Durham West county council for five years.

Thornton first ran for the Canadian House of Commons as a Patrons of Industry candidate in Durham West during the 1896 federal election but fared poorly comining in third place with less than 500 votes.

He was elected as the Conservative MP for Durham West in the 1900 federal election. His election was declared void in October 1901 and his seat declared vacant. A by-election was held in January 1902 in which his Liberal opponent defeated Thornton by 28 votes.

He returned to the House of Commons in the 1908 federal election, this time representing Durham, and was re-elected in the 1911 federal election. Thornton remained in parliament until the 1917 federal election in which he stepped aside so that the wartime Union Government which Conservative Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden had formed could run Liberal-Unionist Newton Wesley Rowell as a pro-Government candidate.

Thornton was a member of the Orange Order.