Ray Thornton

Who is Ray Thornton?

Raymond Hoyt "Ray" Thornton, Jr. is a former U.S. Representative from the US state of Arkansas.

A graduate of Sheridan High School, Thornton earned a degree in political science from Yale University and, later, a law degree from the University of Arkansas. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War, earning the rank of lieutenant.

Thornton returned to law school after returning from Korea; obtaining his law degree in 1956. After election as Arkansas Attorney General in 1970, he was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1972. He defeated fellow Democrat Richard S. Arnold of Texarkana in the primary. Thornton went on to serve three terms in the House. He served as a member of the Judiciary Committee considering Articles of Impeachment against President Richard Nixon, and was included in the group of three southern Democrats and four moderate Republicans who drafted the articles adopted by the Committee.

Thornton did not run for a fourth term in the House. Instead, he ran for the Senate, but narrowly lost in the Democratic primary to Governor David Pryor. Pryor then defeated a liberal Republican, William T. Kelly, in the general election.