Sir Frederick Whitley-Thomson (2 September 1851 – 21 June 1925) was a British Liberal Party politician and businessman.

Background

He was the son of Jonathan Thomson, merchant of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, and Emma Whitley of Halifax. He was educated at Glasgow Academy and

Andersonian University The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

, Glasgow. He married Bertha Florence Smith of Halifax in 1888. They had one daughter, Doris, who married Lieutenant Commander Kenworthy, MP. In 1914, they received a grant by Royal Licensee to use the surname Whitley-Thomson.

Early career

He was the head of J. Whitley and Sons, card manufacturers of Brunswick Mills, Halifax and a Director of the English Card-clothing Company, Ltd. He served as a Governor of Halifax Technical School. He was Vice-President of Halifax Liberal Association and a member of Halifax Chamber of Commerce.

Political career

He sat as Liberal MP for

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

from 1900 to 1906. In 1900, standing for parliament for the first time, he surprisingly gained the seat from the

Liberal Unionists The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington (later the Duke of Devonshire) and Joseph Chamberlain, the party established a political ...

. He stood down at the general election of January 1906. In 1908, he stood as the Liberal candidate at the

1908 Ross by-election The 1908 Ross by-election was held on 31 January 1908. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Liberal MP, Alan Coulstoun Gardner. It was won by the Liberal Unionist candidate and previous MP for Ross Percy Clive Percy ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. He was unable to hold this marginal Liberal seat. In 1908, he was appointed as an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of Halifax Borough Council and served as the Mayor of Halifax from 1908 to 1911. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Halifax. In January 1910, he stood as the Liberal candidate at

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

. This was another Liberal seat, but again he failed to hold it.

Later life

After 1910, he did not stand for parliament again. He was instrumental in raising a fund of £10,000 for the Royal Halifax Infirmary and Halifax District Nursing Association in memory of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

. In 1913, his daughter Doris married the Liberal MP, Joseph Kenworthy. He was president of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce from 1912 to 1914. He was chairman of the Finance Committee of Halifax Borough Council from 1913 to 1919. He was chairman of the Halifax War Refugees Committee, and received from King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

the '' Medaille du Roi'' in recognition of services to Belgian refugees, resident in Halifax and district during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was knighted in the

1916 Birthday Honours The 1916 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitley-Thomson, Frederick 1851 births 1925 deaths Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1900–1906 Knights Bachelor