Hornblow was born in Wellington in 1861, the son of Charles William Hornblow. He grew up in Greytown in the Wairarapa. He received little education and started work from the age of ten. He was an apprentice at the Greytown Standard for six years and in 1882, he worked as a compositor for the New Zealand Times in Wellington. He returned to Greytown and worked at the Greytown Standard as a reporter. This was followed by a short period of the Greytown representative for the New Zealand Times, and four years each at the Wairarapa Star and the Wairarapa Daily. He started his own printing business in 1891 in Masterton and sold it in 1894. He then became an auctioneer and land agent. In later life, he owned newspapers in Mangaweka, Dargaville, Whangarei, Rawene, and Kohukohu.
Political career
Hornblow stood for the New Zealand House of Representatives several times during his life. In the, he stood in the electorate and of the five candidates, he came fourth. In the, he stood in the electorate and of the three candidates, he came last. He once more contested the Oroua electorate in the subsequent election in and of the three candidates, he came last in the first ballot and was thus eliminated from the second round of voting. In the 1909 Rangitikei by-election, he came last of the five candidates in the first ballot. In the, he stood in the electorate but was beaten by David Guthrie. In the, he stood in the electorate but was beaten by Edward Newman. In the, he stood in the electorate and of the three candidates, he came last. In the, he stood in the electorate and was beaten by Gordon Coates. In the, he stood in the electorate and of the five candidates, he came last. He again stood in the Bay of Islands electorate in and of the three candidates, he came a distant last. In the he stood for the Bay of Islands electorate again against Harold Rushworth as an Independent Labour candidate, placing third out of four candidates. Hornblow was mayor of Dargaville from 1919 to 1925.
Private life
On 21 February 1889 at Greytown, he married Emily Sarah Perry of Masterton. They had a son and a daughter, and divorced in December 1906. His first wife remarried in Nelson the following year. Hornblow married Rose Lavinia Spain in March 1907 in Dunedin. There were no children from this marriage, they separated in December 1927 and were divorced in June 1931.
