Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Baron Hesketh
Encyclopedia
Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Baron Hesketh (17 November 1881–20 July 1944), known as Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 8th Baronet, from 1924 to 1935, was a British
peer, soldier and Conservative
Member of Parliament
.
Hesketh was the son of Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Baronet, and Florence Emily Sharon, daughter of U.S. Senator William Sharon
. He was educated at Eton
, the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and Trinity College, Cambridge
.
He achieved the ranks of 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards
, Captain in the Lancashire Hussars
Yeomanry and Honorary Major in the Territorial Army and also served as a Justice of the Peace
for Lancashire
and for Northamptonshire
. Hesketh sat briefly as a Member of Parliament for Enfield
from 1922 to 1923 and was later High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
in 1932.
He succeeded his father as eighth Baronet of Ruffield in 1924 and in 1935 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hesketh, of Hesketh in the County Palatine of Lancaster.
Lord Hesketh married Florence Louise Breckinridge, of Kentucky, daughter of John Witherspoon Breckinridge, and granddaughter of General John C Breckinridge, Vice-President of the United States, in 1909. They had three sons and two daughters (Flora and Louise). Their eldest son Lieutenant the Hon. Thomas Sharon Fermor-Hesketh was killed in an aeroplane accident in France
in 1937. Lord Hesketh died in July 1944, aged 62, and was succeeded in his titles by his second son Frederick
. His third son John married Patricia Macaskie Cole in 1946. His grandson Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron Hesketh, is a former Conservative government minister. Florence, the Dowager Lady Hesketh died 1956.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
peer, soldier 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...
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,...
.
Hesketh was the son of Sir Thomas George Fermor-Hesketh, 7th Baronet, and Florence Emily Sharon, daughter of U.S. Senator William Sharon
William Sharon
William Sharon was a United States Senator from Nevada who profited from the Comstock Lode.-Early life:Sharon was born in Smithfield, Ohio, January 9, 1821, the son of William Sharon and Susan Kirk. He attended Ohio University. After studying law in St. Louis, Missouri, he was admitted to the bar...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
He achieved the ranks of 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards
Royal Horse Guards
The Royal Horse Guards was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry.Founded August 1650 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by Sir Arthur Haselrig on the orders of Oliver Cromwell as the Regiment of Cuirassiers, the regiment became the Earl of Oxford's Regiment during the reign of...
, Captain in the Lancashire Hussars
Lancashire Hussars
The Lancashire Hussars were originally formed in 1798 as independent troops, before becoming the Lancashire Yeomanry Cavalry in 1828 and then being disbanded in 1832...
Yeomanry and Honorary Major in the Territorial Army and also served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and for Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
. Hesketh sat briefly as a Member of Parliament for Enfield
Enfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Enfield was a parliamentary constituency of Middlesex centred on the town of Enfield. The area formed part of the London conurbation. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:The...
from 1922 to 1923 and was later High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
in 1932.
He succeeded his father as eighth Baronet of Ruffield in 1924 and in 1935 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hesketh, of Hesketh in the County Palatine of Lancaster.
Lord Hesketh married Florence Louise Breckinridge, of Kentucky, daughter of John Witherspoon Breckinridge, and granddaughter of General John C Breckinridge, Vice-President of the United States, in 1909. They had three sons and two daughters (Flora and Louise). Their eldest son Lieutenant the Hon. Thomas Sharon Fermor-Hesketh was killed in an aeroplane accident in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1937. Lord Hesketh died in July 1944, aged 62, and was succeeded in his titles by his second son Frederick
Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh
Frederick Fermor-Hesketh, 2nd Baron Hesketh was a British peer and soldier.-Early life:Hesketh was the son of Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, 1st Baron Hesketh, and Florence Louise Breckinridge, of Kentucky, daughter of John Witherspoon Breckinridge, and granddaughter of General John C Breckinridge,...
. His third son John married Patricia Macaskie Cole in 1946. His grandson Alexander Fermor-Hesketh, 3rd Baron Hesketh, is a former Conservative government minister. Florence, the Dowager Lady Hesketh died 1956.