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An Eastern Shore native, Horne had an expansive career in public service to his state and his country.

Horne served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958 before earning his B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1964. He graduated from the Tulane University School of Law in 1965 and was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1966.

After being admitted to the bar, Horne worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Talbot County from 1968 to 1971 before serving as the Talbot County State’s Attorney from 1971 to 1973.

Horne then dove into the realm of state politics, serving as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1973 to 1989.

As a delegate, Horne chaired the Eastern Shore Delegation, the House Judiciary Committee and the Joint Oversight Committee on Juvenile Service Initiatives. He kept a focus on justice throughout his tenure in the legislature, serving as co-chair of the Task Force on Drunk and Drugged Driving and as a member of the Task Force on Crime and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.

Horne was appointed as a county administrative judge to the Talbot County Circuit Court in 1989. He became the county’s chief judge in October 2003 and served in that role until January 2006.

Many of the people who clerked for him became lifelong friends.

“He adored his daughters and grandchildren. He was always showing pictures of his family. He spoke highly of them. He spoke at my investiture,” said Brynja Booth, one of Horne’s former law clerks, who now serves as a Maryland Court of Appeals judge.

“A judge can be isolated from the bar because you have to be neutral, fair and impartial. He was well regarded on the shore and statewide,” Booth said. “He was a great judge who cared about Talbot County and the state.”

Leigh Melton, who also clerked for him and went on to be a law professor at University of Richmond, remembered how Horne always challenged himself to learn and do more.

“He would ask me to go on a walk with him on the Rails to Trails and bring the Maryland Rules Book. He would quiz me and himself about different rules as we walked,” Melton said. “He loved any mental challenge. We used to play nickel ante poker. A big pot would be $1.50. He could probably count cards.”

“He had an incredible legal mind,” she continued. “He was compassionate but harsh on the sentences.”

Current Talbot County District Court Judge Karen Ketterman, who clerked for Horne in the early ’90s, described Horne as a wonderful mentor who took her under his wing.

Law enforcement also held him in high regard after watching Horne’s decision-making in action. Talbot County Sheriff Joe Gamble said Horne will be greatly missed by police.

“He was always prepared. He was a good sentencer. He didn’t play games,” he said. “If it was your second offense, he gave you what he said he would at your first trial.”

Daniel M. Long, who previously served as a judge for the 1st Judicial Circuit and the Somerset County Circuit Court, described Horne as having a “rare combination of great intellect and grand common sense.”

“He could analyze and dissect the most complex issue with class and grace. We spent a lot of time in the car together going to Orioles games at Camden Yards,” he said. “He was good company. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a searing wit.”

“He was universally admired and respected both judicially and legislatively. I miss him already,” Long said.

Horne’s family announced the news of his death via social media.

“...Dad passed peacefully at home with both of us by his side. We are heartbroken but also grateful that he is now with Mom and our brother Billy. He was a great man who did so much for his community and family and we will miss him every day,” wrote his daughters Amy Horne-Kolligian and Linda Prochaska in a Facebook post.

“Dad did not rage against the dying of the light, but instead he went peacefully after saying goodbye to his two best friends,” wrote his son-in-law Val Prochaska in a Facebook post.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, April 8, at Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home in Easton and from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Shireton lobby.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, at Christ Church in Easton. Interment will be private.