Thomson Hankey (1805 – 13 January 1893)[1] was a British merchant, a banker and a Liberal Party politician.
Hankey was the son of Thomson Hankey from Portland Place in London, and his wife Martha, the daughter of Benjamin Harrison from Clapham Common.[2] He became a merchant in the City of London and a director the Bank of England,[2] serving as its Governor from 1851 to 1853.[3]
At the 1852 general election, Hankey unsuccessfully contested the borough of Boston in Lincolnshire.[4] He then contested the by-election in June 1853 for the City of Peterborough, where he lost by a margin of 21 votes (out of a total 451) to the Liberal George Hammond Whalley.[5] Whalley had been returned for Peterborough at a by-election in December 1852, but an election petition was lodged and his election was subsequently declared void on 8 June 1853[1] on the grounds that Whalley had been complicit in the "treating" of voters. After his second by-election win, a further petition was lodged, and a committee of the House of Commons found that Whalley's election was invalid, because he had been disqualified as a result of the previous void election. The seat was therefore awarded to Hankey, who was declared duly elected on 14 August 1853.[6]
Hankey was re-elected in 1857,[7] 1859[8] and 1865,[9] but was defeated at the 1868 general election by the Liberal William Wells.[5] He was re-elected in 1874,[10] but was defeated in 1880.[5] His name was discussed in early 1882 as a possible candidate for any future vacancy in Peterborough,[11] but when Hampden Whalley resigned in June 1883, Hankey did not contest the resulting by-election,[5] and did not stand again thereafter.[12]
He was also a Justice of the Peace (JP) for Middlesex, Kent and the City of London, and a member of Commission of lieutenancy for the City of London.[12]
He died on 13 January 1893, aged 88.[12] In his later years, his advanced age prevented him from taking any active part in public life.[12]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George Hammond Whalley George Wentworth-FitzWilliam |
Member of Parliament for Peterborough 1853–1868 With: George Wentworth-FitzWilliam 1853–59 George Hammond Whalley 1859–68 |
Succeeded by William Wells George Hammond Whalley |
| Preceded by William Wells George Hammond Whalley |
Member of Parliament for Peterborough 1874–1880 With: George Hammond Whalley 1874–78 John Wentworth-FitzWilliam 1878–80 |
Succeeded by Hampden Whalley John Wentworth-FitzWilliam |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Henry James Prescot |
Governor of the Bank of England 1851–1853 |
Succeeded by John Gellibrand Hubbard |