Arkansas lost a political legend today when former Congressman Ray Thornton passed away at the age of 87.
Ray Thornton grew up in Sheridan the child of two teachers. Ray's intellect and quick wit was evident from an early age and he graduated high school at just 16 years old. He then headed off to the University of Arkansas, eventually winning the Navy Holloway Program Scholarship to attend Yale University. After college, Ray heeded what would be the first of several calls to serve his country and joined the United States Navy, where he served for three years with the Pacific Fleet during the Korean War.
After leaving the Navy, Ray returned home to Arkansas, earned a law degree from the University of Arkansas, and married Betty Jo, with whom he raised three daughters. Ray began a successful legal career before being elected Attorney General in 1970. After one term, Ray was elected to the House of Representatives from Arkansas's Fourth District. Ray served with distinction, including on the Judiciary Committee, where he helped draft the articles of impeachment against President Nixon. In 1978, he narrowly lost an epic Senate primary featuring him, fellow Congressman (and later Governor) Jim Guy Tucker, and Governor (and later Senator) David Pryor. He then returned to the family business of education, becoming the only man to serve as president of both Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas.
Ray returned to politics in 1990, winning election to the House of Representatives again, this time from Arkansas's Second District, serving another three terms. Representing the Little Rock-area, Ray was President Clinton's congressman, yet he voted against the president's signature budget in 1993. Also, around this time, Arkansans passed an amendment to our state constitution limiting the terms of federal officeholders. In the ensuing landmark case, U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton, the Supreme Court held that states cannot add additional qualifications to federal offices, including a limitation on terms. Ray was the named defendant and believed in this constitutional principle, but shortly after the decision he announced his retirement from Congress-proving that the case was never really about him, but rather his devotion to Constitution.
On a personal note, I got to know Ray as he prepared to retire from Congress. Thanks to the recommendation of a family friend who worked for Ray, I interned at Ray's Little Rock office for a few weeks in the summer of 1996. Rather than the usual intern routine of "clips"-for you pages down front, that's when interns literally clipped stories out of the newspaper-I spent days and days at a storage unit in southwest Pulaski County, sorting through more than a quarter century of Ray's public papers, preparing them for the archives under the supervision of his long-time, matchless advisor, Julie Baldridge. It was a fascinating history lesson in Arkansas politics and it highlighted a common theme of Ray's career: his commitment to do the right thing, as he saw the right, even when it was the tough thing. Whether it was impeachment, that 1993 budget vote, or the term-limits case, Ray stood his ground.
But Ray didn't leave public life after Congress, for he answered another call to service, this time on the Arkansas Supreme Court where he served until 2005. Now, Ray has gone home to his Maker and while we join his family and friends in mourning the loss, we also celebrate his long, well-lived life in service of our country and Arkansas. Rest in peace, Ray Thornton.
