Thomas Leslie (c. 1701–1772), of Stenton, Fife, was a British Army officer and Scottish politician who 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. ...

between 1734 and 1761.

Early life

Leslie was the third son of John Leslie, 9th Earl of Rothes and his wife Lady Jean Hay, daughter of

John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddale PC (1645 – 20 April 1713) was a Scottish nobleman. Early life Hay was the eldest son of John Hay, 1st Marquess of Tweeddale and his wife, Lady Jean Scott, daughter of Walter Scott, 1st Earl of Buccleuch. H ...

He was educated privately and joined the army and was an ensign in the 26th Foot in 1717

Career

Leslie’s father who was sheriff at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

, returned his son for Dysart Burghs but it was a double return and the seat was awarded by the Commons to his opponent, Leslie was a lieutenant in the 2nd Dragoons in 1726 and was on half-pay in 1729. At the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

, he was returned successfully as

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 Dysart Burghs. He voted with the Opposition on the Spanish convention in 1739 and on the place bill in 1740. He did not stand 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 ...

. In 1741 he became a captain in the

46th Foot The 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in 1881, b ...

and in October 1742 was appointed equerry to the Prince of Wales. Leslie was returned on his family’s interest for as MP for Perth Burghs at a by-election 20 January 1743. Following his cousin Lord Tweeddale, he voted with the Government on the Hanoverians in 1744. He served against the rebels in the Forty-five rebellion, when he was wounded and captured at the

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobite forces, led by the Stuart exile C ...

. In 1746, he was classed as a follower of Tweeddale’s friend, Granville. By 1747 Leslie had transferred his allegiance to Pelham. Later that year he applied to Newcastle for the post of barrack master: He was appointed barrack master for Scotland, with the rank of colonel, in 1748 and held it until 1768. Pelham helped to secure Leslie’s re-election for Perth at the

1754 British general election The 1754 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Owing to the exten ...

but by this time he was in financial difficulties. Pelham died and over the next few years Leslie plied Newcastle with s string of further appeals for financial assistance which Newcastle sometimes granted. Leslie eventually lost his seat at the

1761 British general election The 1761 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. This was the first P ...

Family and legacy

Leslie made a secret marriage in around 1753. He died on 17 March 1772 leaving a daughter. Family in carter Kentucky named after him

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leslie, Thomas 1700s births 1772 deaths Cameronians officers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 46th Regiment of Foot officers Royal Scots Greys officers