Thomas Adams Lord Mayor of the City of London and Member of Parliament Date of Birth: 01.01.1586 Country: Great Britain

1. The Early Life and Education of Sir Thomas Adams
2. A Successful Merchant and Civic Leader
3. Lord Mayor of London
4. Member of Parliament
5. Support for the Monarchy
6. Death and Legacy

The Early Life and Education of Sir Thomas Adams

Born in 1586 in Wem, Shropshire, Thomas Adams received his early education at Shrewsbury School. In 1600, he became a sizar at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, earning his Bachelor's degree in 1605.

A Successful Merchant and Civic Leader

After completing his education, Adams established himself as a successful draper in London. In 1609, he was elected Sheriff, leaving his business to devote himself to public service. As a Master of the Drapers' Company, he became an Alderman in the Corporation of the City of London and served as Governor of St. Thomas' Hospital, which he possibly saved from ruin by exposing a dishonest warden's embezzlement.

Lord Mayor of London

In 1645, Adams was elected Lord Mayor of the City of London. He demonstrated exceptional impartiality, forgoing the financial benefits derived from the sale of vacated offices. His loyalty to King Charles I was well-known, and early in the English Civil War, his house was considered by the Republican party as a possible hiding place for the King. He was imprisoned in the Tower for a time the following year.

Member of Parliament

Despite his royalist sympathies, Adams eventually became the Senior Alderman of the Drapers' Company and was accordingly bestowed the honorary title of "Father of the City." Sir Thomas served as Member of Parliament for the City of London from 1654 to 1655 and again from 1656 to 1658.

Support for the Monarchy

Adams' concern for the King was such that during Charles II's exile, he sent him £10,000. Upon the King's return, the 74-year-old Sir Thomas was deputed by the City to accompany General Monck to Breda in the Netherlands to escort the King home. For his services to the King, he was knighted at The Hague and was soon after granted a baronetcy on June 13, 1661.

Death and Legacy

Later in life, Adams suffered from kidney stones, which hastened his death. The stone removed from his body after his death weighed over 700 grams and is preserved in a Cambridge laboratory. He was buried in a vault under the altar of St. Mary's in St. Margaret's Church, Sprowston, Norfolk with a grand marble monument erected over him.

Sir Thomas Adams is remembered as a great benefactor. During his lifetime, he endowed his home in Wem as a free school for the town. He founded a professorship at the University of Cambridge in 1643 and paid for the translation and distribution of the Gospel in Persian throughout the East. Despite significant losses in his fortune, he left bequests to the poor of numerous parishes, hospitals, and the widows of clergymen in his will.