Information AboutWilliam Thornton |
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William Thornton ( May 20 , 1759 - 28 March , 1828 ) was the original Architect of the United States Capitol . Born on Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands , Thornton received medical training in Edinburgh, Scotland . He emigrated to the United States Of America in 1787 . Thornton's design for the Capitol had been submitted after the close of a competition in which 17 entries were found wanting. His plan was approved on July 25 , 1793 , with the award of $500 and a city lot in Washington, D.C. . Other notable designs by Thornton are the Library Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , and the Tayloe House (also known as the Octagon House ) in Washington, D.C., once headquarters of the American Institute Of Architects . Thornton was also the first Superintendent of the United States Patent Office from June 1 , 1802 until his death in 1828. |
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