Sir Charles Thomas-Stanford, 1st Baronet (3 April 1858 – 7 March 1932), born Charles Thomas, was a

British Conservative Party The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party and also known colloquially as the Tories, is one of the two main political parties in the United Kingdom, along with the Labour Party. It is the current governing party, ...

politician from Brighton. He sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

from 1914 to 1922.

Early life and family

The son of David Collet Thomas, from

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...

, he was educated at the Highgate School and at Oriel College, Oxford, where he graduated with a BA degree in 1881. He was called to the bar at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1882, but did not practice. In 1897 he married Ellen Stanford, the daughter and heiress of William Stanford of Preston Park, Sussex, and widow of Vere Benett-Stanford, the former MP for

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...

. In the same year he changed his name by royal licence to Thomas-Stanford.

Career

Thomas-Stanford became a Justice of the Peace (J.P.) for Brighton, and served as Mayor of Brighton in 1910–11 and 1912–14, becoming an

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

by 1914. Thomas-Stanford was elected as a member of parliament (MP) for Brighton in June 1914 at an unopposed by-election following the resignation of the Conservative MP John Gordon. He was re-elected in 1918 as a

Coalition Conservative The Coalition Coupon was a letter sent to parliamentary candidates at the 1918 United Kingdom general election, endorsing them as official representatives of the Coalition Government. The 1918 election took place in the heady atmosphere of victory ...

(i.e. a supporter of the coalition government led by the Liberal

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

), and stood down from

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

at the 1922 general election. In 1922 he donated

Lewes Castle Lewes Castle is a medieval castle in the town of Lewes in East Sussex, England. Originally called Bray Castle, it occupies a commanding position guarding the gap in the South Downs cut by the River Ouse and occupied by the towns of Lewes and Cliff ...

to the Sussex Archaeological Society, of which he was a long-serving chairman. Thomas-Stanford was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...

on the 1929 New Year Honours and the title was conferred on 8 May 1929. He died aged 73 on 7 March 1932 at his home

Preston Manor, Brighton Preston Manor is the former manor house of the ancient Sussex village of Preston, now part of the coastal city of Brighton and Hove, England. The present building dates mostly from 1738, when Lord of the manor Thomas Western rebuilt the original ...

, which was bequeathed to Brighton Corporation.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas-Stanford, Charles 1858 births 1932 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies English justices of the peace UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs 1918–1922 Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom People from Brighton Councillors in East Sussex Mayors of places in East Sussex Members of the Inner Temple People educated at Highgate School Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford