Henry Hucks Gibbs, 1st Baron Aldenham MA BA FGS FSA (31 August 1819 – 13 September 1907)[1] was a British banker, businessman and Conservative Party politician.
Aldenham the son of George Henry Gibbs,[2] whose father Antony Gibbs was a brother of Sir Vicary Gibbs, a Chief Justice of the Common Pleas.[3] He was a Senior Partner in the family firm of Antony Gibbs and Sons and was a Director of the Bank of England from 1853 to 1901 and its Governor from 1875 to 1877.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the City of London at an unopposed[4] by-election in April 1891,[5] and held the seat until the general election in July 1892[6], when his oldest son Alban was elected in his place.[4] He also held the office of High Sheriff of Hertfordshire in 1884.[7] In 1896 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Aldenham, of Aldenham in the County of Hertford.[8] A member of the Philological Society, he was a major benefactor to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Lord Aldenham married Louisa Anne, daughter of William Adams and the Hon. Mary Anne Cokayne, in 1845. Their fourth son the Hon. Herbert Cokayne Gibbs was created Baron Hunsdon of Hunsdon in 1923 while their fifth son the Venerable the Hon. Kenneth Francis Gibbs was Archdeacon of St Albans. Lady Aldenham died in 1897. Lord Aldenham survived her by ten years and died in September 1907, aged 88. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son Alban.
Children of Lord and Lady Aldenham:
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Thomas Charles Baring Sir Robert Fowler, Bt |
Member of Parliament for City of London 1891 – 1892 With: Sir Robert Fowler, Bt to May 1891 Sir Reginald Hanson, Bt from June 1891 |
Succeeded by Sir Reginald Hanson, Bt Alban Gibbs, 2nd Baron Aldenham |
Government offices | ||
Preceded by Benjamin Buck Greene |
Governor of the Bank of England 1875 – 1877 |
Succeeded by Edward Howley Palmer |
Honorary titles | ||
Preceded by Salisbury Baxendale |
High Sheriff of Hertfordshire 1884 |
Succeeded by Sir Astley Paston-Cooper |
Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
New creation | Baron Aldenham 1896 – 1907 |
Succeeded by Alban Gibbs |