Luke Thompson (politician)
Encyclopedia
Sir Luke Thompson was a British coal
merchant and Conservative
politician.
, 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.
, 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 sat until the general election of 1935
when he retired.
Thompson was knighted by George V
in 1934.
with his wife's parents and siblings.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
merchant and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Early life
Thompson was born on Chester Road, BishopwearmouthBishopwearmouth
Bishopwearmouth is an area in Sunderland, North East England.Bishopwearmouth was one of the original three settlements on the banks of the river Wear that merged to form modern Sunderland....
, 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
Technical drawing
Technical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
before entering into the coal trade.
Politics
In the general election of 1922United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
, Thompson was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the two-seat constituency of Sunderland
Sunderland (UK Parliament constituency)
Sunderland was a borough constituency of the House of Commons, created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election until it was split into single-member seats of Sunderland North and Sunderland South for the 1950...
, alongside Walter Raine. Both defeated by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politicians Marion Phillips
Marion Phillips
Marion Phillips was a Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament in England.She was born to a family in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1881. She was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne and Melbourne University, graduating in 1903 and in 1904 began a research...
and Alfred Smith in the general election of 1929
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, 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
Samuel Storey, Baron Buckton
Samuel Storey, Baron Buckton , known as Sir Samuel Storey, 1st Baronet, from 1960 to 1966, was a British Conservative politician....
. Retaining the seat after the general election of 1931
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
, he sat until the general election of 1935
United Kingdom general election, 1935
The United Kingdom general election held on 14 November 1935 resulted in a large, though reduced, majority for the National Government now led by Conservative Stanley Baldwin. The greatest number of MPs, as before, were Conservative, while the National Liberal vote held steady...
when he retired.
Thompson was knighted by George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1934.
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." He was buried in Bishopwearmouth CemeteryBishopwearmouth Cemetery
Bishopwearmouth Cemetery is a cemetery in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It lies between Hylton Road and Chester Road .-History:...
with his wife's parents and siblings.