Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet

Who was Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet?

Sir Thomas Hales, 3rd Baronet, of Beakesbourne in Kent, was an English courtier and Member of Parliament.

Hales was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Hales, 2nd Baronet, of Brymore, and was educated at Oriel College, Oxford. He entered Parliament in 1722 as Whig member for Minehead, being a member of the Duke of Dorset's faction and supporting the Walpole and Pelham governments. He subsequently also represented Camelford, Grampound, Hythe and East Grinstead, being an MP for most of the last forty years of his life.

The only break in his Parliamentary career came in 1741: at the notoriously corrupt rotten borough of Grampound, his opponents had contrived a disagreement over who was the rightful Mayor and therefore returning officer for the constituency. According to their Mayor, Hales and his pro-government colleague Thomas Trefusis were re-elected by 35 votes to 17; however, his opponents had arranged for the Sheriff to direct the writ for the election to their own nominee, so it was his version of the result which was returned to Parliament. Hales and Trefusis initially petitioned against this outcome, but withdrew their protest before a decision had been reached.