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Thomas Walpole

1727 – 1803

British politician;

Politician Banker Plantation owner
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About Thomas Walpole

Lived 1727 – 1803 (aged 75). Thomas Walpole was a British politician, banker and plantation owner.

Thomas Walpole (6 October 1727 – March 1803), styled from 1756 The Hon. Thomas Walpole, was a British MP and banker in Paris.

Life Thomas Walpole was born into a political family. The second son of the 1st Baron Walpole and his wife Telisha, nee Lombard, he was the nephew of Sir Robert Walpole, the prime minister from 1721 to 1742.

Walpole entered into partnership with the merchant Sir Joshua Vanneck, and married his daughter Elizabeth Vanneck on 14 November 1753. She died on 9 June 1760.

He was MP for Sudbury from 1754 to 1761, and MP for Ashburton from 1761 to 1768. In 1762 he was involved in efforts to engineer William Pitt the Elder into a rapprochement with the Duke of Newcastle. In 1768 he succeeded his cousin Horace Walpole as MP for Lynn, sitting until 1784, when he was succeeded by his nephew Horatio Walpole.

From 1753 to 1754 he served as a Director of the East India Company. In the early 1770s Walpole led a group of investors, including Benjamin Franklin, to seek from the crown a land grant in Ohio.

He was a slave owner on Grenada and Tobago.

In 1787 he married his second wife, Jeanne-Marguerite Batailhe de Montval.

His son Thomas (1755–1840) was British Ambassador to Munich.

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Important facts

Birth century
Education
Eton College
Positions held
Member of the 11th Parliament of Great Britain, Member of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain, Member of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain, Member of the 14th Parliament of Great Britain
Also known as
Hon. Thomas Walpole

People in Thomas Walpole's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Thomas Walpole's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Thomas Walpole?

British politician; (1727-1803)

When was Thomas Walpole born?

Thomas Walpole was born on 25 October 1727.

When did Thomas Walpole die?

Thomas Walpole died on 21 March 1803.

What was Thomas Walpole's occupation?

Thomas Walpole was a politician, banker and plantation owner.

What nationality was Thomas Walpole?

Thomas Walpole was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Thomas Walpole

· Wikidata: Q15438317

· DBpedia: Thomas Walpole

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Thomas Walpole. https://biography.guide/thomas-walpole/

MLA: "Thomas Walpole." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/thomas-walpole/.

Chicago: "Thomas Walpole." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/thomas-walpole/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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