Thomas Challis

{{Short description|British businessman and Liberal politician}}

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{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}

Thomas Challis (1 July 1794 – 20 August 1874) was a British businessman and Liberal Party politician who held office as a Member of Parliament and as Lord Mayor of London.

Born in the City of London, he was a hide merchant with business premises in the Bermondsey area of south London, and also was a skin broker in Finsbury.{{cite news|title=Death of an Alderman|newspaper=The Daily News|date=22 August 1874}}

Challis was elected an alderman for Cripplegate Ward in 1844, an office he held until his death aged 80, when he was the senior member of the court of aldermen of the City of London.{{cite news|title=Death of an Alderman|newspaper=Pall Mall Gazette|date=21 August 1874}} In 1846-47 he held the office of Sheriff of London and Middlesex and was Lord Mayor of London in 1856–57.{{cite news|title=Election of Sheriffs|newspaper=The Morning Post|date=25 June 1846|page=5}}

A member of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, he was master of the company in 1839.{{cite web|title=Past Masters|url=http://www.butchershall.com/cms_mainpage.php?id=1&subid=3|publisher=Worshipful Company of Butchers|accessdate=17 November 2013}}

In June 1852 a general election was called and a group of 500 electors in the Clerkenwell area presented a petition to Challis requesting that he stand for election to parliament for the constituency of Finsbury.{{cite news|title=Election Intelligence|newspaper=Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper|date=6 June 1852}} He consented to become a candidate, declaring that if elected he would "exercise his own judgement, and, opposing all class legislation, he should make truth the basis of his conduct, and the happiness of the people his object."{{cite news|title=Election Intelligence|newspaper=Morning Chronicle|date=8 July 1852}} There were three candidates for the two-seat constituency, and Challis was elected along with his fellow Liberal, Thomas Slingsby Duncombe.{{cite news|title=The Elections|newspaper=The Daily News|date=10 July 1852}} He served a single term, standing down at the next general election in 1857.

On Michaelmas Day 1852 Challis was elected by the Corporation of London as Lord Mayor of London.{{cite news|title=Election of Lord Mayor|newspaper=Morning Chronicle|date=30 September 1852}} He took office on 9 November, although the traditional Lord Mayor's Show was not held as the City was preparing to hold the state funeral of the Duke of Wellington.{{cite news|title=Lord Mayor's Day|newspaper=The Standard|date=9 November 1852}}

He died at his country home in Enfield, Middlesex, and was buried at Enfield Chase Cemetery.