Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
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The Right Honourable The Earl of Macclesfield PC FRS |
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Portrait after Sir Godfrey Kneller (1712).
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| Lord Chancellor | |
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In office 1718–1725 |
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| Monarch | George I |
| Preceded by | The Lord Cowper |
| Succeeded by | In commission |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
23 July 1666 Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 28 April 1732 (aged 65) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield PC FRS (23 July 1666 – 28 April 1732) was an English Whig politician.
He was born in Staffordshire, the son of Thomas Parker, an attorney at Leek. He was educated at Adams' Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was married to Janet Carrier, whose sister was married to William Anson, 1st Baron Anson's father . He was called to the bar in 1691, and became a Member of Parliament and was knighted in 1705. In 1710 he refused the office of Lord Chancellor, but was made a Privy Counsellor. He was Lord Chief Justice from 1710 to 1718 and was involved in the prosecution of Dr Sacheverell. He made a vehement attack on Sacheverell and the high church clergy.[1] He was also a friend of Bernard de Mandeville, whose satirical Fable of the Bees became highly controversial in the 1720s.
He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1713. He also had a grammar school built at Leek, his home town. In 1714 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Parker of Macclesfield.
On 1 August 1714, Queen Anne died, and her designated successor, the Elector of Hanover was off in his German domain, so Baron Parker was designated Regent of Great Britain, Ireland and the realms beyond the seas until the new King could be informed of the situation and take the crown. He governed until 18 September. In 1718, because the King could not speak English, Parker gave the King's Speech in the House of Lords.
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