Ray Thornton, a former congressmen and Arkansas Supreme Court Justice, has donated papers that account his professional and personal encounters to his alma mater, University of Arkansas. Thornton's long public career also saw him serving as Arkansas attorney general, and president of the University of Arkansas and Arkansas State University.
"I am so pleased that scholars and historians will have access through my eyes to these interesting and instructive moments I was privileged to experience," Thornton, a graduate of the University of Arkansas School of Law, said. "That my life's work is being archived and managed by the University of Arkansas and through its splendid facilities and expert librarians assures the highest possible use for many years to come," Arkansas Matters reports.
"When I walk the U of A campus, it still feels like home. So it's fitting that my documents and mementos be entrusted to an institution so close to my heart."
During his tenure as congressman, Thornton served on the House Judiciary Committee that initiated the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon in the Watergate burglary scandal.
"Congressman Thornton's papers document the rich military, political, business and academic careers of a remarkable Arkansas native," Timothy G. Nutt, head of special collections department in Mullins Library, said. "The positions held by Congressman Thornton throughout his long career as a public servant are testaments to the love and respect he has for the state. He has given back to Arkansas in a multitude of ways, and we are honored to preserve his legacy of accomplishments at the University of Arkansas Libraries."
