Thomas Thornely, sometimes spelled Thornley, (1 April 1781 – 4 May 1862) was a British Member of Parliament who was one of the elected representatives for Wolverhampton between 1835 and 1859. Early and business life Thornely was born on 1 April 1781 in Lord Street, Liverpool, where his father traded as a woollen draper. His parents were both members of well-established Presbyterian families, his father being related to the Thornelys of Hyde in Cheshire and his mother to the Mather family of Toxteth Park. He was schooled for some time by the minister of Hyde Chapel, Bristowe Cooper, and later apprenticed to the merchant firm of Rathbone, Hughes and Duncan, operated in Liverpool by the William Rathbone family. He became a merchant in his own right in 1802, trading mainly with the United States, when he joined the firm of Martin, Hope and Thornely as junior partner. Between 1805 and 1810, he was based in New York as the firm's resident partner and he later made a further three visits to the US, the last being in 1842 with his nephew. On his return to Liverpool, Thornely retained his involvement in commerce, including with the East Indies, and according to an obituary "took much interest in public affairs and in all matters connected with civil, religious and commercial freedom". In 1811, he was among the merchants who condemned the British government's reaction to Napoleon's attempt at an economic blockade of Britain, known as the Continental System, on the grounds that their retaliation was damaging trade with the US. He helped to present evidence to a parliamentary committee regarding the matter and the Orders-in-Council were eventually rescinded, although by that time the War of 1812 with the US had begun. He was a supporter of proposals which eventually were encapsulated in the 1832 Reform Act and of repeal of the Corn Laws, as well as becoming a senior figure in the Liverpool East India Association, which lobbied on behalf of merchants. When the partnership of Martin, Hope and Thornely was dissolved in the 1810s, Thornely joined with his brother to form the firm of Thomas and J. D. Thornely, with which he remained connected until retirement in 1839. He has been described as being a "sugar refiner" Thornely was a member and official of the Renshaw Street Unitarian Chapel. He was a vice-president of both Manchester New College and the British