Thomas Lorimer Corbett (1854 – 6 April 1910) was a British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician. Corbett was born in

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 ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and was the eldest son of Thomas Corbett of

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Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire ( gd, Siorrachd Dhùn Breatann) or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders P ...

and his wife, Sarah Cameron.''The General Election - Biographies of Candidates'', The Times, 15 July 1892, p. 13 Following a private education, Corbett moved to

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

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 ...

. He became secretary of the

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

Conservative Association, and a member of the National Union of Conservative Associations. He was elected to the first

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

in 1889, as a

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic liber ...

councillor for Clapham electoral division. He was defeated by his

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

opponent at the next council election in March 1892. Corbett's opposition to

Home Rule Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...

in Ireland led to him standing as a parliamentary candidate for the

Irish Unionist Unionism is a political tradition on the island of Ireland that favours political union with Great Britain and professes loyalty to the British Crown and constitution. As the overwhelming sentiment of Ireland's Protestant minority, following ...

s at the

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

and 1895 general elections, when he unsuccessfully contested East Tyrone.''Obituary: Mr T L Corbett'', The Times, 7 April 1910, p. 13 In 1895 he regained his seat on the London County Council, and retained it in 1898. He was chief whip of the Moderate Party, and held the office of deputy chairman of the council in 1899 – 1900. In 1898 Colonel Thomas Waring, the Unionist

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 North Down died. Corbett contested the ensuing

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

, but was narrowly defeated by his opponent, John Blakiston-Houston. Both candidates were members of the same party, and it was felt that Blakiston-Houston won the seat by securing the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

vote in the constituency.''Election Intelligence. Down (North Division)'', The Times, 9 September 1898, p. 7 Corbett, in contrast, was described as having "somewhat extreme Protestant opinions". Two years later a general election was held, and Corbett succeeded in being elected as MP for North Down. He held the seat at the next two elections in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

and January 1910. His younger brother,

Archibald Cameron Corbett Archibald Cameron Corbett, 1st Baron Rowallan (23 May 1856 – 19 March 1933), was a Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament and Liberal Unionist Party politician. Early life The second son o ...

, was

Liberal Unionist 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 ...

MP for Glasgow Tradeston from 1885–1911. T L Corbett died suddenly from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in April 1910 at his London home.

References

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Thomas Lorimer 1854 births 1910 deaths Members of London County Council Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Down constituencies (1801–1922) Irish Unionist Party MPs UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 Municipal Reform Party politicians