A mathematical model has been developed and solved for predicting the response of a thick thermoelastic axisymmetric solid plate subjected to sudden lateral mechanical and thermal loads. The governing equations of motion and heat conduction have been solved by using Laplace and Fourier transform methods to predict the response of the plate in the physical time domain. A modified Bessel function solution with complex argument is directly used. The model is also formulated and solved with the help of the finite element method (FEM). The results for radial and axial displacements and temperature change have been computed numerically and illustrated graphically for different theories of generalized thermoelasticity. The comparison of exact analysis with that of FEM is also discussed. Excellent agreement is found between the finite element analysis and analytical and classical solutions.