Paul Hornsby (Richard Burgi)

Paul Hornsby, Sr. was a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital.

The character was introduced in 1991 as a villain because he was a member of the cartel, but eventually he overcame his dark beginnings through his love for Jenny Eckert. He was portrayed by Paul Satterfield from 1991-1994.

Storylines

 * -|1991=Paul Hornsby first came to Port Charles in March 1991 at the request of his old friend, Sean Donely, to help restructure ELQ International following the sabotage of the ELQ Tracy that February. After the Quartermaines reluctantly agreed to his demands, Paul was instated at ELQ's CEO, much to the dismay of then CEO Ned Ashton and his mother, Tracy Quartermaine. Tracy made it no secret that she disliked Paul at the helm of her father's company since he had nothing to lose should it go under, but she eventually eased up a bit when Paul managed to renegotiate the salvage deal she made with Harlan Barrett to the terms of 50/50. Another person against Paul was Tracy's ex-husband and Ned’s father, Lord Larry Ashton, who bribes Alan's soon-to-be ex-wife, Lucy, to charm Paul, but their plans are thwarted when Jennings serves Lucy eviction papers and throws her out the mansion.

After ascertaining 12 million dollars in cash from Harlan for the Quartermaines through negotiations over a plant and the acres around it, Paul catches the eye of Jenny Eckert, the sister of Harlan’s partner, Bill. As they become better acquainted, Jenny enlists Paul's help in clearing Mac Scorpio of the charges brought against him for the ELQ Tracy sabotage. When the two are alone, it is revealed that Paul was the one who hired Mac to sabotage the ship and the Cannery. Mac feels double-crossed because Paul neglected to mention that his brother, Robert, was the police commissioner, but Paul assures Mac that he will only be charged with the attempted murder of Robert. Mac does not understand, leading Paul to insinuate that he was the one who set the explosives to the ELQ Tracy. Much to Jenny's chagrin, Mac turns down Paul's representation, but Paul does find a client in Alan, who hires him to be his divorce attorney.

In the month that he’s been there, the Quartermaines consider Paul a hero, with the exception of Ned, who continues to plot against him. Though Paul is not worried about Ned’s plans, he does become concerned when he learns that Mac has escaped from prison. Since Mac is the only one who knows of Paul’s doings, Paul feels Mac must be eliminated. When Mac is pushed off a freighter by Robert and presumed dead, Paul is initially relieved until Finnean O'Toole, Mac's friend, calls him to tell him that Mac is alive, revealing that the two are working together against him. Paul tells Finnean to continue with their plan, while he continues to spin his web against the Quartermaines by convincing them to take ELQ public or face filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

To deal with Robert and Mac before they can return to Port Charles, Paul calls in a favor from a Senator, who agrees to help him set up false bank account in Robert's name and wire money to an account Mac already has. Unfortunately for Paul, Mac tells Robert about his dirty dealings with Paul and they soon enlist the help of Sean, Anna Devane and Frisco Jones. Upset because he put Paul in their orbit, Sean goes to the Quartermaines and tells them about Paul, but they do not believe his claims due to Sean having no physical proof. Ned however believes Sean's claims and wants to remove Paul from ELQ just as bad as Sean does, and when the Quartermaines learn that Harlan has been buying up ELQ’s now public stock, Tracy accuses Paul of insider trading, which he denies.

Paul offers to take a lie detector test to prove his innocence but Tracy feels it is unnecessary following a lunch she had with Ned, making her suspicious of him. Searching for his wife, Dominque, Leopold Taub arrives to town and Paul quickly informs him that no one suspects they are working together but that the charges against Mac have been dropped. Leopold is unpleased with the latter development and after the ELQ file in Paul's office goes missing, Leopold reminds Paul that his daughter's well-being is at stake should their plans fall apart. He is then summoned by the cartel (Leopold, Faison and Harlan) and informs them that he believes that Sean is responsible for the missing file. They give him 24 hours to retrieve the file so he hires a man to break into Sean’s office and find it. The man finds the file and gives it to Paul, but this only leads to more problems between himself and Sean.

Paul decides to take a different approach with Sean and threatens his wife, Tiffany, but he later denies doing so when confronted by Sean. When Faison offers his assistance, Paul distracts Sean long enough for Faison to break into the Donely penthouse and spike Tiffany’s glass of milk. With Sean distracted with Tiffany's recovery, the cartel move onto their next phase by having Paul seduce his way into Tracy’s life and marry her to obtain her 11% of ELQ. Paul initially opposes such measures but agrees after being reminded of the consequences. After receiving a note, Sean confronts Paul, who gives him a pill with the promise that they will save Tiffany's life. Sean does not believe Paul's claim but he assures Sean that he is not wrong and to not throw the pill away.

Sean gives Tiffany the pill and she makes a recovery, following initial respiratory failure, but Paul tells Sean that she will relapse after 30 days. When Sean requests more pills however, Paul agrees only is Sean starts working for him. When Sean suggests the counteroffer to work with each other to bring down the cartel however, Paul refuses but later begins feeding Sean information about the cartel. Paul meets up with Faison, who demands Paul speed up his proposal to Tracy but Paul tells him he cannot rush things. He also asks if once he marries Tracy and obtains her stock will the matter with his daughter be over, but Faison tells him that it will never be over because there is no cure to the disease. Disheartened, Paul relays this news to Sean and later introduces him to his 7-year-old daughter, Susan, who is also suffering from the same disease plaguing Tiffany. After he proposes to Tracy and gets it on tape for Faison to hear, Faison gives Susan another pill and Paul rushes to her bedside.

After she recovers, Susan returns with Paul to Port Charles, where he introduces her to Jenny. Jenny surprised to meet Paul’s daughter, having been unaware he had one, but Paul tells her he was waiting for the right time since Susan has been ill. Despite is engagement to Tracy, Paul promises Jenny that they will be together and her meeting Susan is just the beginning. Unfortunately, their relationship abruptly ends when Ned invites Jenny to Paul and Tracy's engagement party. Jenny is heartbroken over learning of Paul's relationship with Tracy and even though he assures her that he does not love her and is being blackmailed into the situation, Jenny rejects him and refocuses her attention on Ned. As they near closer to their wedding date, Paul and Tracy experience ups and downs, primarily because of Tracy's insecurities about being much older than him, Paul refusal to sleep with her before they're married and that Paul has not introduced Tracy to his mother and daughter.

To further complicate matters, Paul wants out of the cartel because he cannot stand watching his daughter or Tiffany suffer anymore and he wants to break his engagement to Tracy to be with Jenny. He calls Leopold for a meeting to discuss the matter but Leopold tells Paul he can't leave the cartel and that he will proceed with his marriage to Tracy. When Tracy threatens to call the wedding off, Paul finally introduces Tracy to Susan and they later marry at the end of October. After returning from their honeymoon, Paul works overtime to gain Tracy's shares of ELQ but she is steadfast in maintaining her shares. This causes some friction between Paul and the cartel, who threaten to kill Tracy if Paul cannot get the job done himself. To further motivate him, they refuse giving him the pills that will keep his daughter, and Tiffany, healthy, but they grow impatient. Another factor causing Paul grief is the resurgence of Tracy's father, Edward, who takes in instant dislike to Paul.

Paul meets with Faison in the park to request more time but Faison refuses and shows Paul the vial he intends to poison Tracy with. A fight ensues and Faison stabs Paul, but not before Paul knocks Faison out and steal to vial. Paul staggers for help and eventually runs into Sean, who rushes him to the hospital. While he recovers, Paul gives Dr. Tony Jones the vial to create a cure for the disease. Sean worries that the cartel will try to kill Paul and secretly trades places with him when a punk impersonates a cop to kill Paul. The real police show up and apprehend the punk, who later admits to being willing to testify against Faison. After being released from the hospital, Paul finally confesses all to Tracy, who to his surprise wants to continue on with the marriage. Paul doesn't understand why she’d want to keep on with a loveless marriage but Tracy states that she has been ridiculed for marrying a younger man, and will not be ridiculed further if the truth comes out, therefore she won’t let him go.

By the end of 1991, Paul was no longer CEO of ELQ, trapped in a loveless marriage and facing criminal charge from the district attorney due to his dealings with cartel. In spite of them being against him now, Paul tries to make a life being Mr. Tracy Quartermaine but finds it incredibly difficult. For his daughter's best interest, Paul has his mother, Evelyn, take her away from Port Charles for a while. Evelyn notes the turmoil she sees in her son and he agrees that his life spiraling out of control and that Susan doesn’t need to see him like that. The only saving grace for Paul as it stands would be Jenny, whom he shares a kiss with on New Year's Eve.


 * -|1992=Following their kiss on New Year's Eve, Paul goes to Jenny and tells her about his desire to divorce Tracy and be with her, but Jenny denies his advances and tells him to stay with his wife because she loves Ned and that her relationship with Paul is over. Married life to Tracy however is like a prison to Paul, which he has no problem telling Tracy point blank. He wants Jenny and it burns him up to see her about to marry Ned. At his trial, Paul tells his attorney and Tracy that he will not appeal if he is found guilty, but he does not have to worry about that as the judge rules him not guilty. Relieved with his newfound freedom, Paul makes it his mission to regain Jenny’s trust and contacts his attorney to have divorce paperwork drawn up.

At Ned and Jenny's engagement party, Tracy announces her pregnancy, much to Paul's chagrin and he demands that she prove it. The next day at the hospital, the doctor confirms that Tracy is indeed pregnant and Paul agrees to stay married to her because he will not allow the Quartermaines' ruthlessness to corrupt his child. He does however tell Jenny to give him 6 months, but she once again refuses and tells him to leave her alone. Paul eventually enters a partnership with Bill Eckert after his previous partnership with Julia Barrett ends and she warns Paul to watch his back as far as Bill's concerned. When Paul decides to visit his daughter, he invites Tracy to come with him and they bring her back to stay with them in Port Charles. Tracy wants them to stay in the Quartermaine mansion, but Paul thinks they should get their own place.

In March, Paul and Bill prepare to bid for the canneries and later learns that he and Tracy will be having a boy. The pregnancy seems to be bringing Paul and Tracy closer but Tracy’s jealousy of Paul's affection for Jenny becomes a problem. In May, Paul and Bill sign papers for Pier 52 when Tracy goes into premature labor. Paul rushes to the hospital to be there for his son and Tracy and later informs her of his waterfront deal with Bill. Though frail, their son begins making a recovery and the couple name him Dillon Albert Quartermaine-Hornsby]. A month after his birth, Paul and Tracy take Dillon home and begin planning his baptism. Tracy initially objects to Ned and Jenny being named Dillon’s godparents but later agrees.

When Paul and Jenny get trapped in a bed and bath store during a storm that July, they discuss their feelings for one another and share a bed. After they’re rescued, Paul asks Jenny about acting on their feelings but Jenny wants to save her marriage and Ned warns Paul to stay away from Jenny. The three initially lie to Tracy about their whereabouts the night of the storm but after Tracy finds Jenny’s missing earring in Paul’s pant pocket, Ned reveals he was with Julia the night of the storm. Tracy eventually puts two and two together when it comes to Paul and Jenny and leaves with Dillon. Paul questions their whereabouts but is given the runaround. In Tracy's absence, Paul gets closer to Jenny and they ask each other about their happiness in their separate marriages.

Tracy returns to Port Charles in September and Paul is livid about her disappearance with Dillon, but she informs him that she was in Portland and just needed to get away. The truth however, is that Tracy was working with Marco Dane to uncover Jenny’s past in Portland after she busted him impersonating Ned Ashton. Once the information is gathered, Tracy blackmails Jenny into staying away from Paul, but Paul refuses to be rejected by Jenny because he loves her and wants to stand by her. Paul also learns that Marco is not who he says he is and offers him triple of what Tracy is paying him if he'll tell him the truth. Marco then tells Paul everything that he has dug up on Jenny for Tracy, including her affair with Senator Jack Kensington. Paul declares to Tracy that his marriage is over, but Jenny is not as willing to throw her marriage away, despite her love for Paul.

Tracy tells Paul that if he does indeed plan to go through with the divorce, she will file for full custody of Dillon, but Paul is steadfast in his divorce plans. He moves out of the Quartermaine mansion and helps Jenny move out the gatehouse following her failing marriage to Ned once he hears the Kensington tape. Similar to New Year's Eve 1991, Paul and Jenny find themselves together on New Year's Eve 1992, but when a drunken Jenny attempts to have sex with him, Paul stops her because he does not want her to do something under the influence of alcohol.


 * -|1993-1994=Jenny apologizes for throwing herself at Paul on New Year's Eve, but he tells her it is alright. He offers to take her ice skating and she agrees, but she hurts her ankle. On the day of the Deception Spa opening, Paul convinces Jenny to go, Julia having failed to do so earlier, but a snide comment from Ned at the opening results in Paul punching him. In the meantime, Marco has been keeping tabs on Paul and Jenny, following his agreement to do so for Tracy towards the end of 1992. After being evicted from his office by Tracy, Paul begins searching for new office space with Jenny's help. He also assures her that the audio tape of her will never go public as he will stop Ned from exposing it. Paul meets with Ned and offers him his ELQ stock and his part in the waterfront development in exchange for Ned keeping the Kensington tape private and Ned agrees.

Jenny is upset when she finds out the lengths Paul went to over the tape because he lost everything he fought for, but he tells her that she means more to him than his business deals and they make love. When the tape hits the press however, Paul confronts Tracy and Ned. Tracy denies any involvement, despite not being able to produce her copy of the tape and Ned decks Paul when he confronts him in a parking garage. Jenny wants to leave town to let things cool over, but Paul thinks she should stay and confront the issue. She later tells Paul everything about her affair with the senator, including her miscarriage. Paul remains by Jenny's side, even when Senator Kensington states in a press conference that Jenny was trying to extort money from him.

Tracy decides to add more problems for them when she tells Paul she will get a court order barring him from seeing Dillon if he continues to allow Jenny to be around him. Paul goes with Jenny to DC for the hearing over the Kensington tape and is livid when Marco testifies about Jenny requesting that he make the tape to blackmail the senator. Paul later confronts Tracy about her role in the hearing and breaks some of her jade collection, resulting in Tracy filing a restraining order against him. Paul defies the restraining order though to see his son and enters a nasty fight with Tracy that Lila has to break up. After Tracy leaves, Paul has a heart to heart with Lila while Edward convinces Tracy to drop the restraining order after giving her the title of "Vice President of Special Projects" at ELQ.

In May, Paul begins helping Jagger Cates find his siblings following their separation by social services years ago. Tracy continues her vendetta against Paul by searching his warehouse for stolen ELQ merchandise, which is found there, and Marco warns Paul that Tracy is setting him up. Paul is arrested for the stolen property and pleads his case to Edward and Lila about Tracy setting him up. Tracy in the meantime gloats to Paul about never seeing his son again because he'll be behind bars. He is released on bail but worries about the charges pending against him until he gets a phone call about Jenny being in an accident. Paul races to General Hospital to be by Jenny’s side and breaks down.

After Jenny awakens, she requests Tracy see her and informs her that she knows Tracy was behind the wheel and will agree to keep quiet if Tracy grants Paul a divorce and drop the grand larceny charges against him. Tracy agrees and comes clean to Edward and Ned about her involvement in Jenny's accident. Having been banished again, Tracy leaves Port Charles with Marco’s money and Dillon. Paul confronts Marco about Tracy's whereabouts but he cannot tell him because he honestly does not know but he will find out. Marco eventually learns that Tracy is in Switzerland and tells Paul. Jenny also tells Paul of her agreement with Tracy, which is initially angered about, but later becomes understanding. Nonetheless, he wants Jenny to go to the police about Tracy’s involvement but since Tracy destroyed any evidence linking her to the crime, the point is moot.

Jenny feels bad for Paul as her deal with Tracy has resulted in him losing his son and Paul laments in missing out on all of Dillon's firsts. He hires a private investigator to find Dillon's location, but the PI comes up with nothing. Nonetheless, Paul decides to search for his son, even if that means flying all around Europe to do so. Jenny eventually calls Paul to tell him to come home and give up on the wild goose chase Ned has sent him on. When Paul returns he tells Lila that he will press charges against Tracy if he cannot find her so Lila tells him that Tracy is in Buenos Aires, but he cannot find her there either. Lila assures him that that was the location Tracy told her, but Paul is convinced Edwards is covering for Tracy, which he denies. Paul eventually gives up on his search and reluctantly accepts the fact he will not be a part of Dillon's life.

In February 1994, Paul's divorce to Tracy is finalized and he and Jenny celebrate by signing a prenuptial agreement and agreeing to marry on Valentine’s Day. On the day of Mac and Felicia's wedding however, Ryan Chamberlin takes Felicia hostage and plants a bomb in the church. Paul is able to save the day by getting the bomb out the church but the struggle between Ryan and Mac has left him with a broken arm and thus the wedding is called off. A wedding does happen however as Mac encourages Paul to marry Jenny and Paul asks Jenny's nephew, Sly, to be his best man. Paul and Jenny have their reception at The Outback and honeymoon in Fiji, while Laura watches over Sly. After returning from their honeymoon, Paul and Jenny return to collect Sly and leave Port Charles.