[3] According to the New York Times, Thrower was haunted for the rest of his life by the case of his client Will Coxson, a black teenager who had been convicted for rape.

Thrower had just joined the United States Marines, so he let another lawyer take over the appeal, believing that Coxson would surely be acquitted by the Supreme Court of Georgia.

In 1956, Thrower, running as a Republican, unsuccessfully challenged incumbent segregationist James C. Davis for a seat in Congress.

In 1971 he requested a meeting with Nixon, believing that the president would be horrified to learn that some of his aides were attempting to use the IRS for political purposes.

[6][7] He accepted the White House announcement that he had "resigned for personal reasons" and quietly returned to the Atlanta law firm.

In 1993, Thrower received the American Bar Association Medal, the ABA's highest honor, for his public, professional, and government service.