George Thornburgh was born in Havana, Mason County, Illinois, Jan. 25, 1847, and moved to Smithville, Arkansas, in December 1855. Thornburgh assisted J. N. Hillhouse for two sessions and taught one session at New Hope. He then began the study of law in 1867 with Col. Baber, and then studied in the law department of the Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1868. He was licensed to practice by Judge (afterward Gov.) Baxter, and had charge of the circuit clerk's office from 1868 to 1870, during which time the county seat was moved to Clover Bend, and from there to Powhatan. He entered into mercantile business at Smithville, from 1870 to 1873, and in June 1873, moved to Powhatan, where he began the practice of law in co-partnership with Col. Baber. This firm did a large and successful business until June 1886, when Col. Thornburgh withdrew to take charge of a newspaper at Walnut Ridge. He moved to Walnut Ridge in 1886, and began the publication of the Telephone. He was elected to the legislature as a Democrat in 1870, but, after serving a month, his seat was contested, and the house being largely Republican, and politics being very bitter, he was ousted to give place to William B. James, who received less than one-fourth as many votes.

He was re-elected to the legislature in 1872, and stood with the "immortal minority" in the house in 1873. In 1876, he was nominated by his county for the senate, but declined on account of business engagements. In 1880 he was forced by the demands of his party and friends to submit to an election to the legislature again, and was elected speaker for the house during the session of 1881. It is said of him, as it can be said of no other speaker of the Arkansas legislature, that none of his decisions were ever appealed.

In 1884 he was again elected to the legislature. and was made chairman of the judiciary committee. In 1886 he was nominated by the State Wheel convention for secretary of State, but declined the nomination, because, as a Democrat, he could not accept any nomination that would antagonize the Democratic party. After 1884 he sought no more political offices, and devoted his attention to his paper.

He was appointed a colonel in the Arkansas militia, by Gov. Baxter, and again appointed by Gov. Garland. Col. Thornburgh was made a Mason, in Smithville Lodge No. 29. in 1868. He served as Secretary of his lodge and Worshipful Master. He was made a Royal Arch Mason, in 1870, in Pythagoras Chapter No. 34. held at Powhatan. He was made a Sir Knight Mason in Hugh De Payne Commandery, at Little Rock, in 1871. He was a delegate to every Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter from 1871 until his death.

He was Secretary of the Masonic Convention of 1873, which made the present constitution of the Grand Lodge. Elected Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge in 1874, in 1875 he made and defended the famous minority report, which cut the Grand Lodge loose from supporting St. John's College. He was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge in 1878, and re-elected to the same position in 1879. In 1880 he was elected Deputy Grand Commander of Knights Templar, and elected on Masonry, and was a permanent member of the Grand Lodge of Georgia, the Grand Chapter of Illinois, and the Grand Orient of Spain.

In July 1886, he founded the Masonic Trowel, a paper devoted exclusively to Masonry. It was adopted by the Grand Lodge as its official organ.

Mr. Thornburgh was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and was a steward, continuously, beginning in 1876, also Sunday school superintendent for forty years in Smithville, Powhatan, Walnut Ridge, First Church at Little Rock, and Winfield Memorial.

He was the only layman in the Southern Methodist Church who was secretary of an annual conference, and he had the honor of being the author of the system of reports now used throughout the church.

Prior to 1886 the church had no uniform plan or system of reporting, so he arranged a system for the conference of which was so complete and systematic that Bishop McTyeire urged its adoption by the general conference, and became the only form allowed to be used in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

In 1889, he moved to Little Rock to be Business Manager of the Arkansas Methodist. After 14 years of this position, he sold the plant to Anderson and Miller.

He later became president of the Arkansas Methodist Orphanage Board, and helped raise funds to build a home for their care.

Mr. Thornburgh was a strong temperance advocate, a supporter of the free school system and a conservative, but straight Democrat. He was twice married, first, September 1868, to Miss Margaret Self, daughter of Dr. J. M. Self, a Methodist preacher. They had two children- Mrs. J. M. Workman and Mrs. R. P. Ramsey.

He married a second time in 1903, Mrs. L. B. Green, also daughter of a Methodist preacher, Rev. W. P. Gibson.

From Lest We Forget, by Rev. J. H. Riggin