THORNTON, Sir Edward, British diplomatist, born in London, England, 17 July, 1817. He is the son of Sir Edward Thornton, minister to Portugal, who was created Count de Cassilhas by the Portuguese monarch, John VI. The son was graduated at Cambridge in 1840, and became an honorary fellow of Pembroke college, became a member of the diplomatic service in 1842 at Turin, was paid attache in Mexico in 1845, succeeded to the Portuguese title in 1850, and in 1851 was appointed secretary of legation to the republic of Mexico. He was secretary to the special mission to the river Plate, under the late Sir Charles Hotham, from April, 1852, till October, 1853, and in May, 1854, became charge d'affaires and consul-general in New Grenada, but was transferred to Uruguay in September following. He became minister to the Argentine Confederation in 1859, and was engaged on a special mission to the court of Brazil in July, 1865, where he was appointed minister in the August ensuing. In September, 1867, he was selected to represent England at the court of Portugal, but before he could take possession of the office he was transferred in December to Washington. He was made a companion of the Bath (civil division) on 9 February. 1863, knight commander on 9 August, 1870, and a privy councillor, 19 August, 1871. He was a member of the joint high commission on the "Alabama" claims in 1871, and an arbitrator of the American and Mexican claims commission in 1873, also of the boundaries of Ontario in 1878. He was transferred as ambassador to St. Petersburg in May, 1881, and to Turkey in December, 1884, and was made a O. C. B. on 21 August, 1883. The degree of D. C. L. was conferred upon him by Oxford in 1877, and that of LL.D. by Harvard in 1879. On 1 January, 1887, he was retired with a pension.