Thomas Somerset (Northern Ireland politician)

For other politicians of this name, see Thomas Somerset (disambiguation).

Sir Thomas Somserset
DL
Member of Parliament for North Belfast
In office
1929–1945
Preceded byThomas McConnell
Succeeded byWilliam Frederick Neill
Personal details
Born(1870-12-14)14 December 1870
Largymore, County Down, Ireland
Died16 June 1947(1947-06-16) (aged 76)
Upper Malone Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Political partyUlster Unionist Party
OccupationPolitician and industrialist

Sir Thomas Somerset DL (14 December 1870 – 16 June 1947) was an industrialist and Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) for North Belfast from 1929 to 1945.

Life and career

Thomas Somerset was the son of an engineer, James Somerset.[1] Somerset was a native of Largymore, County Down.[2] He established Thomas Somerset and Co. Ltd., linen manufacturers in 1891. This enterprise proved profitable, with factories at Belfast, Dublin, Greyabbey and Portaferry, giving employment to over 1,200 people.[3][4] He was also a director of Commercial Insurance Co. of Ireland, Ltd., and Chairman of the Northern Counties Committee of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.[5][2]

Somerset was elected MP for North Belfast in 1929, holding his seat to 1945.[5][6] He was knighted in 1936.[5] Somerset died on 16 June 1947 at his home at The Weir on the Upper Malone Road, South Belfast.[1]

Family

Somerset married Ethel Parker of Cheshire and had two children, a son and daughter.

Reference

  1. ^ a b "Death of Sir Thos. Somerset: Former N. Belfast• M.P". Belfast Telegraph. 16 June 1947. p. 6 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ a b "Sir Thomas Somerset". Belfast Telegraph. 1 January 1944. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Smithfield weaving factory". Belfast News-Letter. 24 February 1915. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive. Thomas Somerset & Co., who already own linen factories in Belfast, Portaferry, and Greyabbey. In those three factories upwards of 1,200 workers are employed
  4. ^ Lawler, Mark (19 August 2013). "In the lead-up to the Lockout". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Harbinson, John F. (1973). The Ulster Unionist Party, 1882–1973. Belfast: Blackstaff Press. p. 181. ISBN 0856400769.
  6. ^ Whyte, Nicholas (12 January 2005). "North Belfast 1922-1949". ARK. Retrieved 7 May 2025.


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