James Henley Thornwell (December 9, 1812 – August 1, 1862) was an American Presbyterian preacher and religious writer. Born in Marlboro District, South Carolina, on December 9, 1812; Thornwell graduated from South Carolina College at nineteen, studied briefly at Harvard, then entered the Presbyterian ministry. He became prominent in the Old School Presbyterian denomination in the south, preaching and writing on theological and social issues.