Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet (25 December 1842 – 17 April 1915) was a Conservative Party politician in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. He was

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 o ...

for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

from 1880 to 1885, and from 1886 until the general election of 1906, losing the seat by only 28 votes to the Liberal candidate. He regained the seat in January 1910 and

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

in March 1912. He 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 20 June 1898, of Bryngwyn (Bryngwyn Manor, near Wormelow Tump),

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 Monmouthsh ...

. He was a senior partner of the family timber and shipbuilding company,

Pollok, Gilmour and Company Pollok, Gilmour, and Company was a Glasgow-based timber-importing firm established in 1804 by Allan Gilmour, Sr and the brothers John Pollok and Arthur Pollok. The company soon became the leading British firm in the North American timber trade. ...

."Sir James Rankin", ''The Times'', (London), Monday, 19 Apr 1915, page 4, Issue 40832 The Rankin Constitutional Club, in Corn Square, Leominster, is named after him.

Personal

Leominster Museum - 2014-07-11 - Andy Mabbett - 34

Born on 25 December 1842, he was the eldest son of

Robert Rankin Robert Fleming Rankin (born 27 July 1949) is a prolific British author of comedic fantasy novels. Born in Parsons Green, London, he started writing in the late 1970s, and first entered the bestsellers lists with ''Snuff Fiction'' in 1999, by ...

(1801–1870), a timber merchant and shipowner, and his wife Ann, née Strang (1812–1875). He earned a first-class degree in the Natural Science Tripos at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

. On 12 January 1865, he married Annie Laura, the daughter Christopher Bushell J.P. (1810–1886) and Margaret née Easton of Hinderton Hall, Cheshire.John Rankin, ''op cit''.
page 82
/ref> He had four sons and four daughters. His Baronetcy was created in 1898.

References

Bibliography

*John Rankin,
A history of our firm: being some account of the firm of Pollok, Gilmour and Co. and its offshoots and connections, 1804–1920
', publ. 1921

External links

England and Wales Census, 1881 for James Rankin
at familysearch.org * * *
Sir James Rankin (1842–1915), Bt
portrait painted in 1907 by Herman Herkomer * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, James 1842 births 1915 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Masters of foxhounds in England Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918

Personal

See also

References

Bibliography

External links