Thomas Stanes was the sixth of nine children of James Stanes, a glass and china shipping merchant of London, and his wife Sarah Poultney Worth. After education at College House, Edmonton, London, he arrived at Madras, Tamil Nadu, India on 26 June 1855 on the MS Hindustan. He was the elder brother of the celebrated Anglo-Indian businessman Sir Robert Stanes

Robert Stanes

Sir Robert Stanes was a British businessman and philanthropist in India who founded United Nilgiri Tea Estates in Coimbatore....

. Both Thomas and Robert founded Stanes schools in Tamil Nadu, Robert at Coimbatore

Coimbatore

Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....

 in 1862 and Thomas at Coonoor

Coonoor

Coonoor is a town and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea....

 in 1858.

Thomas Stanes opened the Adderley Estate shortly after his arrival. He purchased the Colacumbie Coffee Estate in 1865. These two businesses eventually led to the formation of the company T. Stanes and Co. in 1886 by combining the interests of Robert and Thomas Stanes. The company expanded beyond the coffee business into manufacturing, agricultural machinery, agrichemicals and the motor trade. T. Stanes and Co. was still trading 125 years after its foundation, although it is no longer owned by the Stanes family.

Thomas Stanes started The Coonoor Day School , popularly known as The Stanes School in 1858. The school, one of the oldest in India, is still in existence.

Thomas died after being thrown from his horse on 30 January 1905.