William Thornton Re-examined by Bob Arnebeck

  Chapter 10: The General’s Houses    Plaque in Upper Senate Park A plaque in Upper Senate Park just north of the Capitol credits Dr. William Thornton for designing George Washington’s “two brick dwellings.” Glenn Brown based that claim and that Thornton superintended their construction on "the letters of Washington." Brown didn't quote or cite any letters. A hundred years late, C. M. Harris did. In August 1798, Thornton gave a "plan" to Thomas Peter who, on August 26, then passed it on to the General.  Harris and the editors of Washington's Papers have deduced that the plan in question had to be a design for the General’s houses. If it was, the General made a quick study of it. He s ent it back to Peter the next day with only this comment: "Doctr Thorntons plan is returned with thanks; our love to Patsy." She was the Custis sister who married Peter who was the son of Robert Peter who had owned Peter’s Hill when the General had bought lo...

Table of Contents    Epilogue: John Quincy Adams' Diary Thornton's long tenure at the Patent Office relieved him of any power over the Capitol but invited him to claim other achievements. In general, he thought there was nothing new under the sun, but he soon gained a reputation for claiming prior invention for anything that was new. He also thought he shaped the course of history. As his enthusiasm for South American patriots grew so did his claims of leading them. Although he shied from practicing medicine and his theories about yellow fever epidemics failed to impress,  he fancied that he was a life-giver non pareil:  The weather was very cold, and [the corpse] remained in a frozen state, for several days. I proposed to attempt his resurrection, in the following manner. First to thaw him in cold water, then to lay him in blankets, and by degrees and by friction to give him warmth, and to put into activity the minute blood vessels, at the same time to open a p...