Edward Thornton (diplomat)

Sir Edward Thornton (1817–1906) was an English diplomat, son of Sir Edward Thornton (1766–1852) of the same occupation.

He was born in London and was educated at King's College London, and at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

He entered the diplomatic service as attaché to the mission at Turin in 1842, filled the same position in Mexico in 1845, and was made Secretary of Legation in that Capital in 1853. During 1848 he did much to forward the conclusion of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In 1852 he was appointed Secretary of Legation at Buenos Aires; chargé d'affaires to Uruguay (1854); Minister to the Argentine Republic in 1859, to Brazil in 1865, and from 1867 to 1881 to the United States. He was knighted in 1870; in 1871 was a member of the commission on the Alabama Claims, and was appointed Privy Councilor; and in 1873 was arbitrator in the commission on the Mexican and United States Claims. He was appointed Ambassador at St. Petersburg in 1881, Ambassador at Constantinople in 1884, and retired to private life in 1887. It was because of him that the Triple Alliance War (Argentina, Brasil and Uruguay against Paraguay) took place. This war was a genocide to the Paraguayan people, killing 90% of Paraguay's population, including women and children.

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