William Thornton

ABOUT WILLIAM THORNTON

British-American physician, architect, and politician who designed the United States Capitol building. He served as the first Architect of the Capitol and was the first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office.

He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and continued his education at St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the University of Aberdeen. He showed a skillful eye for design at a young age.

His design for the Capitol building was inspired by the Louvre and the Pantheon in Paris. He received a prize of $500 and a city lot for his winning design. His old sketchbooks include portraits, landscapes and historical scenes.

He was born in the British Virgin Islands and was raised and educated in England. He married Anna Maria Brodeau in 1790.

He was a member of the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, along with former presidents Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams .