Thomas Kennedy (1673 – 19 May 1754) was a Scottish lawyer from Dunure, Ayrshire, and a

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. He sat in the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the Pa ...

from 1720 to 1721, and then became a judge of the Scottish Court of Exchequer.

Early life and family

He was the oldest son of Sir Thomas Kennedy of Kirkhill and Dunure (

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of ...

from 1685 to 1687) and Agnes Halden. He was educated at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

and at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

, and was admitted as an advocate in 1698. In 1714 he married Grizel Kynynmont, daughter of Patrick Kynynmont of Kynynmont, Fife, and widow of Sir Alexander Murray, 1st Baronet, of Melgund, Forfar. They had no children.

Career

Kennedy was joint

Solicitor General for Scotland His Majesty's Solicitor General for Scotland () is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Lord Advocate, whose duty is to advise the Scottish Government on Scots Law. They are also responsible for the Crown Office and P ...

from 1709 to 1714, sharing the office with Sir James Stewart, 1st Baronet. He was appointed as

Lord Advocate His Majesty's Advocate, known as the Lord Advocate (), is the principal legal adviser of both the Scottish Government and the Crown in Scotland for civil and criminal matters that fall within the devolution, devolved powers of the Scottish P ...

in March 1714, but he was dismissed in October 1714 after

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

succeeded to the throne. He later supported the 2nd Duke of Argyll, who organised his return at a by-election in January 1720 as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Ayr Burghs Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliamen ...

. He ended his parliamentary career a year later, when he was appointed as a judge of the Scottish Court of Exchequer.

References

1673 births 1754 deaths People from South Ayrshire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Utrecht University alumni Solicitors general for Scotland Lord advocates Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1715–1722 Barons of the Court of Exchequer (Scotland) Members of the Faculty of Advocates {{Scotland-law-bio-stub