Lacy Thornburg

Lacy Herman Thornburg (born December 20, 1929)^[1] is an American lawyer and retired United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He served as the North Carolina attorney general from 1985 to 1993.

Lacy Herman Thornburg
c. 1965
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
In office March 17, 1995 – August 31, 2009
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Robert D. Potter
Succeeded by	Max O. Cogburn Jr.
47th Attorney General of North Carolina
In office 1985–1993
Governor	James G. Martin
Preceded by	Rufus Edmisten
Succeeded by	Mike Easley
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from Jackson County
In office 1961–1966
Preceded by	Marcellus Buchanan
Succeeded by	District abolished
Personal details
Born	Lacy Herman Thornburg (1929-12-20) December 20, 1929 (age 94) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of North Carolina (BA, JD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1947-1948
Rank	Private First Class (PFC)

Education and career

Thornburg was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina in 1952. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1954.^[2] He was in the United States Army as a Private First Class from 1947 to 1948. He was in private practice of law in Webster, North Carolina from 1954 to 1967. He was a Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1961 to 1966. He was a Special judge of the Superior Court of the 30th Judicial District of North Carolina from 1967 to 1971. He was a Resident judge of the Superior Court of the 30th Judicial District of North Carolina from 1971 to 1983. He was the state attorney general of State of North Carolina from 1985 to 1992. He was an Emergency judge of the Superior Court of the 30th Judicial District of North Carolina from 1993 to 1994. He was a Consultant for the National Indian Gaming Commission from 1994 to 1995.

Gubernatorial campaign

In 1992, he unsuccessfully ran as a Democrat for Governor of North Carolina. He was defeated in the primary by former governor Jim Hunt, who went on to win the general election.

Federal judicial service

Thornburg was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Thornburg was nominated by President Bill Clinton on January 11, 1995, to a seat vacated by Robert D. Potter. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 17, 1995, and received commission the same day. He retired on August 31, 2009.

Personal life

A stretch of U.S. Highway 23 in North Carolina is named for Thornburg.^[3] He is the father of Alan Z. Thornburg.

References

1. Judiciary, United States Congress Senate Committee on the (1996). Confirmation Hearings on Federal Appointments: Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Fourth Congress, First Session, on Confirmation of Appointees to the Federal Judiciary. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 72.
2. "North Carolina manual [serial]". 1916.
3. News & Observer blog: A piece of the road for Thornburg Archived 2008-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. Projects.newsobserver.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-13.

External links

• Lacy Thornburg at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Appearances at the U.S. Supreme Court from the Oyez Project

Party political offices
Preceded by Rufus Edmisten	Democratic nominee for Attorney General of North Carolina 1984, 1988	Succeeded by Mike Easley
Legal offices
Preceded by Rufus L. Edmisten	Attorney General of North Carolina 1985–1993	Succeeded by Mike Easley
Preceded by Robert Daniel Potter	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina 1995–2009	Succeeded by Max O. Cogburn Jr.