Sir Thomas Vezey Strong (5 October 1857 – 3 October 1920) was an English businessman who was

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

and a

Privy Counsellor The Privy Council (PC), officially His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its membership mainly comprises senior politicians who are current or former members of ei ...

. He was born in St Andrew Holborn parish,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

, the third son of John Strong. He made his career as a wholesale paper merchant.''London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930'' Strong would say that not only was he born in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

, he never left the city. He became Alderman of

Queenhithe Queenhithe is a small and ancient ward of the City of London, situated by the River Thames and to the south of St. Paul's Cathedral. The Millennium Bridge crosses into the City at Queenhithe. Queenhithe is also the name of the ancient, but now ...

in 1897, served as a

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

in 1904–05 and as

in 1910–11. He was invested as a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

in 1905 and made KCVO in 1911. He was Chairman H.M. Prison Commissioners, Holloway and until 1911 Honorary Colonel of the 1st London Brigade, Royal Field Artillery. He was also Chairman of the London Temperance Hospital from 1899 to his death. He was made a KBE in the

1918 New Year Honours The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Ja ...

. In 1911, he was made a

. In 1900, Strong married Elizabeth "Lillie" Mary, daughter of James Hartnoll, of Ganwic,

Potters Bar Potters Bar is a town in Hertfordshire, England,in the historic County of Middlesex Hertsmere Borough Council – Community Strategy First Review (PDF) north of central London. In 2011, it had a population of 21,882. In 2022 the population was ...

, Hertfordshire. The Strongs lived at Ganwic, Barnet.Armorial Families, seventh edition, A. C. Fox-Davies, Hurst & Blackett Ltd, vol. 2, 1907, p. 1870 They had no children; the engagement of Violet Beatrice Pollard, "adopted daughter of Lady (Vezey) Strong, of Ganwic, Barnet", was announced in ''The Times'' in June 1928, and that of John Strong, "adopted son of Lady Vezey Strong", in June 1932. Strong died in 1920 after a long illness; his widow died in 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Thomas Vezey 1857 births 1920 deaths British businesspeople Sheriffs of the City of London 20th-century lord mayors of London 20th-century English politicians 19th-century English politicians Knights Bachelor Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Privy counsellors