Ella May Thornton


Ella May Thornton was an American librarian who served as the State Librarian of Georgia; president of the Atlanta Library Club; and in 1936, became the president of the National Association of State Libraries.

Early life and education

Ella May Thorton was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 28, 1885. She was the daughter of Eugene Hascal Thornton and Emma Thornton. Granddaughter of Richard and Elizabeth Thornton of Clay County, Georgia, and of John Neal and Mary Jane Neal. Great-granddaughter of David Neal and Joyce Neal.
She was educated in the private schools of Atlanta; Walnut Hill School, Natick, Massachusetts, ; and the Carnegie [Library School of Atlanta].

Career

Thornton served as Second Assistant Librarian, Georgia State Library, 1909–14; Legislative Reference Librarian, Georgia State Library, 1911–18; Assistant State Librarian, 1919–25; and became the State Librarian on January 6, 1926, retiring in 1954. During the period of 1926–28, she was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southeastern Library Association. She was also a member of the Georgia Library Association and the American Library Association, as well as a member ex-officio of the Georgia Library Commission and Georgia State Historical Commission.
She compiled and published Georgia State Constitution and Amendments, 1917, 1925; and Georgia Election Laws, 1926.

Personal life

She was Baptist.
Thornton never married. She died in Atlanta on October 11, 1971.
The Ella May Thornton letters are held in a collection by the University of Georgia.

Awards and honors

Selected works

  • 1917, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
  • 1925, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
  • 1929, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
  • 1932, A Checklist of Georgia State Publications
  • 1941, ''Georgia Women: 1840-1940, Record of Achievement''