WILLIAM THOMAS THORNTON (1813-1880) - Thornton Way

William Thomas Thornton was a civil servant in the East India Company office and a socialist polymath, famous for his writing on co-operation and trade unionism. His decision to work in the East India Company is said to have roots in his time spent in Malta and Constantinople earlier in life. After the EIC was nationalised in 1858, Thornton stayed on as secretary of public works in the India Office until his retirement. During this time, he became good friends with John Stuart Mill, who was influential in combining economics with philosophy, inspiring Thornton to later challenge the economic ‘supply and demand’ theory in his 1869 book ‘On Labour’. His legacy is honoured by the Thornton Scholarship, an opportunity which workmen building Co-partnership housing in the suburb competed for.