Thomas Dale Emberton Sr. (July 14, 1932 — October 20, 2022) was an American politician and judge in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. He was the Republican

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

for his state's governorship in the 1971 election. His campaign was aided by

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell is in his seventh Senate term and is the long ...

. Emberton was born in

Tompkinsville, Kentucky Tompkinsville is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Kentucky, Monroe County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,309 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city was nam ...

, in 1932. After attending

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

, he earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from the

University of Louisville School of Law The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law or the Brandeis School of Law, is the law school of the University of Louisville. Established in 1846, it is the ol ...

in 1962 and was admitted to the bar in that same year. He served as County Attorney for Metcalfe County from 1966 to 1967. Backed by term-limited Governor Louie B. Nunn and Senator

John Sherman Cooper John Sherman Cooper (August 23, 1901 – February 21, 1991) was an American politician, jurist, and diplomat from the United States. He served three non-consecutive, partial terms in the United States Senate before being elected to two fu ...

, He lost to the Democratic

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Wendell H. Ford Wendell Hampton Ford (September 8, 1924 – January 22, 2015) was an American politician from Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Governor of Kentucky from 1971 to 1974, and as a member of the United States Senate for 24 ye ...

, later a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, 470,720 votes (50.6 percent) to 412,653 (44.3 percent). Former Democratic U.S. Senator and Governor

Happy Chandler Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler Sr. (July 14, 1898 – June 15, 1991) was an American politician from Kentucky. He represented Kentucky in the U.S. Senate and served as its List of Governors of Kentucky, 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

received the remaining 39,493 votes (5.1 percent), running as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

. Prior to his gubernatorial candidacy, Emberton served as a member of the Public Service Commission in the Nunn administration. In 1980, he ran in Kentucky's 5th congressional district but lost the primary to the eventual winner,

Hal Rogers Harold Dallas Rogers (born December 31, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1981. He is a member of the Republican Party. Upon Don Young's death in 2022, Rogers became the dean of the Hous ...

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in Pulaski County, who still holds the seat. In 1987, Democratic Governor Wallace Wilkinson appointed him to fill a vacancy on the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illino ...

. He held that position until his retirement in 2004. Emberton resided in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, the seat of Metcalfe County in southern Kentucky. On October 20, 2022, his home caught fire. He escaped, then died upon reentering in an attempt to save it, aged 90.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Emberton, Tom 1932 births 2022 deaths Judges of the Kentucky Court of Appeals Kentucky Republicans People from Metcalfe County, Kentucky Kentucky county attorneys University of Louisville School of Law alumni Western Kentucky University alumni Deaths from fire in the United States Accidental deaths in Kentucky