Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet (24 February 1665/66 – 7 January 1748), of

Bekesbourne Bekesbourne is a village near Canterbury in Kent, South East England. The village is centred ESE of the city's cathedral and its centre stretches less than 1 km from its railway station to the A2 road to the south. Amenities The parish ch ...

and Brymore in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, was an English politician who sat in the

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and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1701 and 1747. Hales was the eldest son of Thomas Hales of Howletts, Bekesbourne and his wife Mary Wood, daughter of Richard Wood of Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire. He was baptised on 1 March 1665/66 at

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

's,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

He was admitted at

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 Wal ...

in 1683 and subsequently travelled abroad in France. His father died in 1692, and in December 1693, he inherited the

baronetcy 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 14th ...

on the death of his grandfather Sir Robert Hales, who had been created a baronet at the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

. Hales was returned as a 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

at the first general election of 1701. He topped the poll in a contest at the second general election of 1701 and was returned unopposed at the 1702 English general election. He did not stand in 1705. He stood for Nottinghamshire at a by-election in June 1711, but was unsuccessful. At the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

Hales was returned as Whig MP for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and was then rewarded with an appointment to the commission for forfeited estates with a salary of £1,000 a year. He supported the Administration, except in 1719, when he voted against the

Peerage Bill {{short description, Proposed British law of 1719 The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whigs (British political party), Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland whic ...

. He was re-elected for Canterbury in 1722 and 1727. Hales voted for the excise bill and at the 1734 British general election, he was defeated in the poll, but was returned on petition on 11 April 1735. He was defeated at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

and was not returned until a by-election on 23 January 1746. He was defeated at the 1747 general election and did not stand again. Hales married Mary Pym (d. 1729), daughter of Sir Charles Pym, 1st Baronet of Brymore, in 1688, and their children included: * Sir Thomas Hales (c. 1694–1762), who succeeded to the baronetcy * Mary Hales, who married Sir Brook Bridges, 1st Baronet (d. 1728), of Goodneston * Catherine Hales, who married Edward Cook of Canterbury * Anne Hales * Elizabeth Hales, who married (first) Benjamin Lethiemillier of East Shen and (second) Charles Pyott of St. Martin's His younger brother

Stephen Hales Stephen Hales (17 September 16774 January 1761) was an English clergyman who made major contributions to a range of scientific fields including botany, pneumatic chemistry and physiology. He was the first person to measure blood pressure. He al ...

was a curate who became a famous scientist, inventor and philanthropist.

References

External links

Hales genealogy

England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 @ FamilySearch

Kent, Canterbury Archdeaconry Baptisms Image @ Findmypast
*Robert Beatson, ''A Chronological Register of Both Houses of Parliament'' (London: Longman, Hurst, Res & Orme, 1807

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hales, Thomas 1666 births 1748 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Whig (British political party) MPs English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Politics of Canterbury People from Bekesbourne