Gibson, THOMAS MILNER

Gibson, THOMAS MILNER, English politician, was born at Trinidad, 1806, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1830. He entered parliament for Ipswich as a Conservative in 1837; but shortly afterwards became a convert to Liberalism, and was returned for Manchester (1841). He had previously distinguished himself by his advocacy of free trade; during the succeeding five years he occupied a prominent position among the orators of the Anti-corn-law League. When the Whigs came into office, in July 1846, he was made a privy-councillor and vice-president of the Board of Trade, but resigned office in April 1848. On the outbreak of the war with Russia he espoused the doctrines of the 'Manchester school,' or 'Peace party.' Whilst sitting for Ashton-under-Lyne (1857-68) he was appointed (1859) president of the Board of Trade, and also ad-interim president of the Poor-law Commission. The former office he held until 1866. It was mainly through Gibson's instrumentality that the advertisement duty was repealed in 1853, the newspaper stamp duty in 1855, and in 1861 the paper duty. From his defeat at Ashton-under-Lyne in 1868 till his death at Algiers, 25th February 1884, he took no prominent part in public life.