John Dent (21 August 1761 – 14 November 1826) was an English

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

Life

He was the eldest son of Robert Dent, a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and Clapham. He was a partner in

Child's Bank Child & Co. is a private banking, private bank. Founded in 1664, it is the oldest bank in the United Kingdom, and the List of oldest banks in continuous operation, third oldest bank in the world. Formerly independent, it is now owned by the NatW ...

, and Tory

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Lancaster from 1790 to 1812. He was a defeated candidate at

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

in 1812 but was returned to Parliament there in 1818, and again, unopposed, in 1822. Dent earned the nickname "Dog Dent" by his interest in the Dog Tax Bill of 1796. He was known also as a book collector and a member of the

Roxburghe Club The Roxburghe Club is a bibliophilic and publishing society based in the United Kingdom. Origins The spur to the Club's foundation was the sale of the enormous library of the Duke of Roxburghe (who had died in 1804), which took place over 46 days ...

. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1811 and a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

. He died in 1826 at his Mayfair home in London.

Family

Dent married Anne Jane Williamson of Roby Hall, Liverpool in 1800; they had 5 sons and 5 daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dent, John 1760s births 1826 deaths English bankers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London English book and manuscript collectors