Thomas Roe, 1st Baron Roe (13 July 1832 – 7 June 1923), known as Sir Thomas Roe between 1894 and 1917, was a British businessman and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician, particularly associated with the town of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Background and early life

, Roe was the son of Thomas Roe, a timber merchant and

Mayor of Derby Names of the Mayors for the Borough of Derby from the first that was chosen on 3 July 1638 by the king's charter then granted to the town. The two last bailiffs were the two first mayors, Mr Mellor being proclaimed 3 July 1638 to be the mayor u ...

, and his wife Deborah, daughter of Absalom Oakley.thepeerage.com Thomas Roe, 1st and last Baron Roe
/ref> He began to work in the office of his father's company, Messr Roe & Sons, timber merchants, at the age of fourteen and became a partner at the age of twenty-two.Article on Lord Roe at youandyesterday.co.uk
/ref> The Late Lord Roe (1832–1923) by Ernest Townsend died 1944

The Late Lord Roe (1832–1923) by Ernest Townsend died 1944

Political career

At the age of 26 he became a member of the Derby Town Council and served as Mayor of Derby from 1864 to 1865. He was particularly interested in education, and was one of the original members of the

Derby School Derby School was a school in Derby in the English Midlands from 1160 to 1989. It had an almost continuous history of education of over eight centuries. For most of that time it was a grammar school for boys. The school became co-educational an ...

Board in 1870 and later served as Chairman of the Education Committee of the town council. He entered Parliament for

in an 1883 by-election, a seat he held until he was defeated at the 1895 general election. Roe was again Mayor of Derby from 1896 to 1897 and returned to 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. ...

at the 1900 general election, when he was once again elected for Derby. Mayor of Derby for a third time from 1910 to 1911 he retired from the House of Commons in 1916. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1894 and in 1917 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Roe, of the Borough of Derby.

Personal life

Lord Roe married, at the age of 71, Emily, daughter of Matthew Kirtley, in 1903. The marriage was childless and she died in July 1909. Roe survived her by fourteen years and died in June 1923, aged 90, when the barony became extinct.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roe, Thomas Roe, 1st Baron 1832 births 1923 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom People from Derby Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 UK MPs 1910 UK MPs 1910–1918 UK MPs who were granted peerages Mayors of Derby Barons created by George V