Luke Thompson (politician)

Sir Luke Thompson (18 July 1867 [Births Index, England and Wales, 1867 September quarter, volume 10a, page 472] – 15 January 1941 [Deaths Index, England and Wales, 1941 March quarter, volume 10a, page 1234] ) was a British coal merchant and Conservative politician.

Early life

Thompson was born on Chester Road, Bishopwearmouth, the son of John Thompson (1823-1883), a coal merchant, and his wife, Catherine (née Liddell, 1826-1915). After schooling, he became a ship's draughtsman before entering into the coal trade.

Politics

In the general election of 1922, Thompson was elected Member of Parliament for the two-seat constituency of Sunderland, alongside Walter Raine. Both defeated by the Labour politicians Marion Phillips and Alfred Smith in the general election of 1929, Thompson regained the seat in a by-election in 1931, following Smith's death. He then held the seat alongside Phillips, briefly, and then with Samuel Storey. Retaining the seat after the general election of 1931, he was again defeated in the general election of 1935 by National Liberal, Stephen Furness.

Thompson was knighted by George V in 1934. [LondonGazette |issue=34030 |date=6 March 1934 |startpage=1526]

Death

Thompson was accidentally killed on 15 January 1941 in Sunderland, aged 73, according to Sir Cuthbert Headlam, Bart. after "trying to work a winch and [getting] caught up in the machinery." [ [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=z8g5HdscI2kC&pg=PA236&lpg=PA236&dq=%22luke+thompson%22+sunderland&source=web&ots=UV94RCXDUy&sig=I0MAnnEMWKXlpKp-M2zfg_nHcgA&hl=en#PPA236,M1 "Parliament and Politics in the Age of Churchill and Attlee: The Headlam Diaries"] , accessed 4 May 2008] He was buried in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery with his wife's parents and siblings.

Family

On 19 October 1895, Thompson married Ann Trobe Potts (1869 [Births Index, England and Wales, 1869 September quarter, volume 10a, page 401] –1946) at Fawcett Street chapel, Sunderland. [Marriage Index, England and Wales, 1895 December quarter, volume 10a, page 968] They had two daughters, Dorothy Trobe (1896-?) and Catherine (1900-?).

References