Roll of Honor
George E. Thornton
Incident
Deputy Marshal George Thornton was shot and killed in the Sac and Fox Nation while trying to arrest two men on warrants, one for horse theft and another for murder. Marshal Thornton and a posse man went to the house of the horse thief and didn't locate them. They then went to search the house of another outlaw. As they approached the house, they were fired upon. They were fired upon from three locations and returned fire at every opportunity. Marshal Thornton was hit, told his partner "I'm sick," fired one more shot, and fell over dead. The horse thief was captured two days short of a year afterward but later escaped. At the time of the organization of the Oklahoma Territory, he was a leading candidate for the appointment of United States Marshal. He had previously served in New Mexico and Texas. Marshal Thornton was survived by his father and brother. He was buried in Peoria, Illinois.
Survivors
Marshal Thornton was survived by his father and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-9F30EAFF- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew George. Claim this record.
This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.
Tributes
135 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Thornton gave the United States Department of Justice 4 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy U.S. Marshal George E. Thornton is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In DC, 754 of 1,418 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.2% of this state's fallen. That is 53.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George E. Thornton's cause is highlighted.
How George E. Thornton Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George E. Thornton is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George E. Thornton was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
312 officers from United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
