Thomas Milner Gibson

Thomas Milner Gibson (3 September 1806 – 25 February 1884), English politician, who came of a Suffolk family, was born in Trinidad, where his father, an officer in the army, was serving.

He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1837 was elected to parliament as Conservative member for Ipswich, but resigned two years later, having adopted Liberal views, and became ardent supporter of the free-trade movement. Milner Gibson was married to Arethusa Susannah, daughter of the Sir Thomas Grey Cullom.

As one of Cobden's chief allies, he was elected to the British House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Manchester in 1841, and from 1846 to 1848 he was vice-president of the Board of Trade in Lord John Russell's ministry. Though defeated in Manchester in 1857, he found another seat for Ashton-under-Lyne; and sat in the cabinets from 1850 to 1866 as President of the Board of Trade.

He was the leading spirit in the movement for the repeal of taxes on knowledge, and his successful efforts on behalf of journalism and advertising were recognized by a public testimonial in 1862.

He retired from political life in 1868, but and his wife, whose salon was a great Liberal centre, were for many years very influential in society. Milner Gibson was a sportsman and a typical man of the world, who enjoyed life and behaved liberally to those connected with him. He and his wife Susannah, who was the daughter of Sir Thomas Gery Cullum of Hardwick House, Suffolk, resided at Theberton Hall, Suffolk.

References

*1911
* http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/GEO_GNU/GIBSON_THOMAS_MILNER_1806_1884_.html
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=EO-R3EsTRYYC&pg=PA307&lpg=PA307&dq=%22thomas+milner+gibson%22+theberton&source=web&ots=HZTSCXQc7X&sig=h6jPwvEgp6rBhc8Cp9gtycKpIyA&hl=en Thomas Milner Gibson and wife Susannah, The Gentleman's Magazine, 1855]