Thomas Bliss (ca. 1647 – 8 October 1721) was an English

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

in two periods between 1698 and 1708. Bliss was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

, where he owned a brewery, in 1698 and was returned unopposed in January 1701. In November 1701 he was re-elected despite a smear campaign which accused him of

Jacobitism Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, ...

. In July 1702 he was defeated in the poll, but the election was declared void because of corruption by the Whigs and the writ for the constituency was suspended until 1704. Bliss was re-elected for Maidstone in 1704 and held the seat until 1708 when he did not stand. His political battles continued in the borough where he was re-admitted as alderman in 1710 but declared as not chosen by the Whig majority in 1711.David Hayton, Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley ''The House of Commons, 1690-1715, Volume 1''
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, - 1640s births 1721 deaths Year of birth uncertain Politicians from Maidstone Tory MPs (pre-1834) English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies {{1698-England-MP-stub