Jesse Quinn Thornton
| Jesse Quinn Thornton | |
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| 6th Supreme Judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon | |
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In office February 20, 1847 – November 9, 1847 |
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| Appointed by | George Abernethy |
| Preceded by | Peter Hardeman Burnett |
| Succeeded by | Columbia Lancaster |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives | |
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In office 1864–1865 |
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| Constituency | Benton County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 24, 1810 Point Pleasant, Virginia |
| Died | February 5, 1888 Salem, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy M. Logue |
Jesse Quinn Thornton (1810–1888) was an American settler of Oregon, active in political, legal, and educational circles. He served as the 6th Supreme Judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon, presented Oregon's petition for official territorial status to Congress, served in the Oregon Legislature, and wrote the state’s motto.
Jesse Quinn Thornton was born August 24, 1810, near Point Pleasant, Virginia (now West Virginia). He grew up in Champaign County, Ohio, and studied law in London for nearly three years. Returning to the United States, he read law in Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1833, afterward attending lectures at the University of Virginia. In 1835, Thornton moved to Palmyra in western Missouri, where he practiced law; he also edited a newspaper. On February 8, 1838, he married the widowed Agnes (Nancy) M. Huston Logue, a teacher. Thornton, an abolitionist, ran into difficulty in pro-slavery Missouri and in 1841 he and his wife moved across the Mississippi River to Quincy, Illinois. Thornton corresponded with newspaper editor Horace Greeley and was acquainted with senators Thomas Hart Benton of Missouri and Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois.
Hoping to improve their health, the Thorntons decided to emigrate to Oregon. They left Quincy on April 18, 1846, and after a brief stop in Independence, Missouri, joined the William H. Russell wagon train on May 15. This company was made up of travelers bound for both Oregon and California; among the latter were many of the emigrants who later formed the Donner Party. On June 1 Thornton and his partner John B. Goode became involved in a dispute about their wagon and team, and the following day arbitrators requested the Oregon-bound wagons to leave the group.
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