Thomas Gore (c. 1694–1777) of Dunstan Park, Berkshire, was a British 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 1722 and 1768.

Early life

Gore was the third son of Sir William Gore Lord Mayor of London and his wife, Elizabeth Hampton. 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 1711, and matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 4 June 1714, aged 19. He married Mary Humfreys, twice-widowed daughter of

Sir William Humfreys, 1st Baronet Sir William Humfreys, 1st Baronet (also spelled Humphreys; died 26 October 1735), was a British ironmonger and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1722. He was Lord Mayor of London for 1714–15 and a Director of the Bank of En ...

of London on 15 September 1748. Her former husbands were William Ball Waring, and John Honywood.

Career

Gore stood for Parliament at

Cricklade Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire, England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester. It is the first downstream town on the Thames. The parish population at the 2011 census was 4,227. History Cricklade ...

at a by-election in 1721 when he was unsuccessful, but was returned as 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 Cricklade on the interest of his elder brother, William, at the 1722 general election. He lost his seat at Cricklade, being defeated at the 1727 general election and was out of Parliament for several years. Gore was returned at

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...

on 17 February 1735, on the Drake interest. He spoke on the gin bill in 1736 and on the quartering of troops in 1741. He was among the Tories who voted against the motion for Walpole's removal in February 1741. At the

1741 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 ...

, he was returned again for Amersham. He continued in opposition, signing the opposition whip of November 1743, but went over to the Administration at the end of 1744 as one of Lord Gower's followers. He spoke in favour of the vote of credit in March 1745 and supported the address of thanks on the Hessians on 3 December. In 1746 he was rewarded with a place as Muster-master general which he held for the rest of his life, but at the consequent by-election in February 1746, his Amersham seat was taken by William Drake, However, the government provided him with a seat at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

where he was returned on 3 March. 1746. After taking office, Gore supported every Administration in turn. He was re-elected for Portsmouth at the 1747 general election and also at

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

on the interest of the Duke of Bedford. He chose to sit for Bedford. Gore was returned again for Cricklade at the

1754 general election Events January–March * January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''. * February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Pla ...

. He is not recorded as speaking in the House during this period. In 1761 he was mentioned as a candidate for Speaker, but Newcastle considered him to be ‘too old and infirm’. He survived a contest at Cricklade in 1761, but retired at the general election of 1768.

Death

Gore died without issue on 17 March 1777. His brothers of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and William Gore were also MPs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gore, Thomas 1690s births 1777 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768