Thomas Milner Gibson
Thomas Milner Gibson (born September 3, 1806 in Trinidad , † February 25, 1884 in Algiers ) was a British statesman .
Gibson studied at Cambridge and entered parliament for Ipswich in 1837 . But since his convictions did not agree with the conservative direction of his constituency, he resigned his mandate in 1839, became one of the most zealous members of the Anti-Corn Law League and was soon one of the most popular defenders of free trade.
As a result, he won the elections in Manchester in 1841 and now fought alongside Richard Cobden in the front ranks of the free traders until the abolition of the grain tariffs (1846) was enforced.
Gibson became Vice President of the Board of Trade under Prime Minister Lord John Russell , who set himself the task of further developing the now adopted trade policy principles . However, as political differences with his colleagues soon arose and the ministers' lukewarmness in implementing financial improvements and their opposition to electoral reforms aroused great displeasure in Manchester , Gibson resigned in May 1848.
Since then he has been one of the leaders of the radical party in the House of Commons and has worked particularly for the emancipation of the Jews. But since he, as a member of the Peace Party, had declared himself against the Russian war, he fell through in Manchester in 1857, but was soon elected to Ashton for Parliament, and his motion to reject the government bill of conspiracy brought about the resignation of the Palmerston Ministry ( February 19, 1858) and joined the new Palmerston cabinet as President of the Commerce Office in June 1859.
Like Cobden, he wanted the development of English trade policy on the basis of the free trade system and in this sense was active for the trade treaty with France and similar treaties with other states. During the American conflict, he strongly advocated genuinely neutral policies.
Gibson held the same position in the cabinet, which was formed by Russell after Palmerston's death in 1865, until 1866, when the government passed to the Tories. He was not re-elected in the new elections of 1868 and has since withdrawn from political life. He died in Algiers on February 25, 1884.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gibson, Thomas Milner |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British politician, member of the House of Commons |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 3, 1806 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Trinidad |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 25, 1884 |
| Place of death | Algiers |