Walter Clarence Thornton

Walter Clarence Thornton (April 3, 1903 – May 14, 1990) was an American model agent best known for founding the Walter Thornton Model Agency in 1929 and his World War II era pin-up girls. Walter Thornton rose to success from being an orphan and a butcher cart driver. He was a Miss America Judge in 1935. His company represented adults as well as children and many of his clients achieved fame and success. He retired from the agency in 1958 and spent the rest of his life in Ajijic, Mexico.

After working as a model and posing for artists such as Arthur William Brown he gained connections in the modeling business and he started his own modeling agency, located in the Chrysler Building, in 1929. As the Walter Thornton Modeling Agency grew, it was considered one of "Big Three", the largest model agencies in the United States, along with its competitors, John Robert Powers and Harry Conover. His agency worked with famous models such as: Lizabeth Scott, Susan Hayward, Grace Kelly, Lauren Bacall, Hazel Brooks, Lucille Wilds, and Eleanor Cahill. Walter Thornton supplied models to Alex Raymond for his comic book, Flash Gordon. A special autobiographical issue depicts Alex Raymond sketching panels using Walter Thornton model Patricia Quinn as a reference. Starting in the mid-50's and continuing after Walter moved to Mexico, Walter Thornton modelling schools and agencies were opened in Canada.

Pin-up girls

Walter Thornton's agency favored "wholesome girl-back-home type" models as opposed to his competition who tended to hire models that fell into the "glamorous show-girl type". pin-up girl. Many of his agency's pin-up girl photos were sent to G.I.s under General Powell during World War II. The popularity of Thornton's pin-up girls led to charting singles such "Get a Pin-Up Girl!" by Don Wolf, "Pin-Up Polka" by Al Gamse and Irving Fields, and "The Walter Thornton Rumba" also by Gamse and Fields.

Just Kids Photos

Walter Thornton ran a stock photo publication of children. Peggy Ann Garner was included in this publication and went on to win an award for her acting.

A series of legal issues and negative publicity starting in 1954 culminated in Walter Thornton's retirement from his modeling agency. Walter Thornton was arrested and charged with grand larceny, petit larceny, and conspiracy on January 26, 1954. Walter Thornton said in a news article that the District Attorney who was prosecuting him, Quinn, didn't have a case and furthermore was just stirring up publicity to cover for his own legal problems. Walter Thornton also had his modelling license suspended for sending clients to a photography office that he owned without disclosure. The case was dismissed on June 3, 1954, by judge Peter T. Farreli of Queens county court in Jamaica, New York. Thornton filed a lawsuit for $3,000,000 in damages against the Hearst Corporation on May 21, 1955 claiming he was libeled.

House built and lived in by Walter Clarence Thornton in Ajijic, Mexico

Thornton married one of his models, Judy Dolan, in 1934 and had one daughter, Daryl. They separated when Walter moved to Mexico.

After retirement

In Ajijic, Mexico, Walter Thornton remarried to Candelaria Navarro and had 6 kids with her: Walter Jr., Roberta Virginia, Adriana Anabel, Nancy Louella, Richard Orlando, Ethel Ivette. He built a house decorated with mosaic tiles where he raised his kids and lived until his health failed. He died of natural causes in 1990.