Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet

The Right Honourable
Sir James Rankin, Bt
JP DL
Rankin in 1895
Member of Parliament for Leominster
In office
1910–1912
Preceded byEdmund Lamb
Succeeded byH. FitzHerbert Wright
In office
1886–1906
Preceded byThomas Duckham
Succeeded byEdmund Lamb
In office
1880–1885
Preceded byThomas Blake
Succeeded byThomas Duckham
Personal details
Born
James Rankin

(1842-12-25)25 December 1842
Liverpool, England
Died17 April 1915(1915-04-17) (aged 72)
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Annie Laura Bushell
​
​
(after 1865)​
Parent(s)Robert Rankin
Ann Strang
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Bryngwyn Manor, the seat commissioned and built by Sir James Rankin 1868–70

Sir James Rankin, 1st Baronet JP DL (25 December 1842 – 17 April 1915) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.

Early life

Close up of a trophy, presented by Rankin to the Leominster Air-Gun League in 1909, and now in Leominster Museum

Rankin was born on 25 December 1842 at Liverpool, England. He was the eldest son of Robert Rankin (1801–1870), a timber merchant and shipowner, and his wife Ann (née Strang) Ranking (1812–1875).[1] His sister, Ann Rankin, was the first wife of David MacIver, MP.[2]

His paternal grandparents were James Rankin and Helen (née Ferguson) Rankin. His uncle, Alexander Rankin, was a Scottish timber merchant and shipowner. His maternal grandfather was John Strang, a prominent Scottish merchant of St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Through his aunt Agnes Strang (wife of Allan Gilmour), he was a first cousin of Sir John Gilmour, 1st Baronet.[2]

He earned a first-class degree in the Natural Science Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge.[3]

Career

He was Member of Parliament for Leominster from 1880 to 1885, and from 1886 until the general election of 1906, losing the seat by only 28 votes to the Liberal candidate. He regained the seat in January 1910 and resigned in March 1912. He served as a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant for Herefordshire. He was made a Baronet on 20 June 1898, of Bryngwyn (Bryngwyn Manor, near Wormelow Tump), Herefordshire.[3]

He was a senior partner of the family timber and shipbuilding company, Pollok, Gilmour and Company, founded by his great-uncles, John Pollok and Arthur Pollok.[3] The Rankin Constitutional Club, in Corn Square, Leominster, is named after him.[4]

Personal life

On 12 January 1865, he married Annie Laura Bushell (c. 1843–1920), the daughter Christopher Bushell JP (1810–1886) and Margaret (née Easton) Bushell of Hinderton Hall, Cheshire.[5] Together, they had four sons and four daughters, including:[2]

  • Annie Beatrice Rankin (1866–1943), who married Claude Arthur Cuthbert, son of William Cuthbert, in 1887.[2]
  • Margaret Ethel Rankin (d. 1949), who married Capt. Thomas Raymond Symons in 1888.[2]
  • Sir James Reginald Lea Rankin, 2nd Baronet (1871–1931), a Lt Col who married Hon. Nest Rice, daughter of Arthur Rice, 6th Baron Dynevor, in 1896.[2]
  • Mary Sybil Rankin (1875–1956), who married Maj. Charles Francis Kynaston Mainwaring, son of Salusbury Kynaston Mainwaring, in 1903.[2]
  • Charles Herbert Rankin (1873–1946), a Brig.-Gen. who married Enid Maud Williams, daughter of Judge Gwylim Williams, in 1908.[2]
  • Edwyn Christopher Rankin (1879–1925), who married Helena Mabel Galloway, daughter of Charles John Galloway, in 1914.[2]
  • Veronica Rankin (1881–1960), who married John Ellison Otto in 1909.[2]
  • Robert Rankin (1883–1945), a barrister who was a Captain in the Irish Guards.[2]

Sir James died on 17 April 1915 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Reginald.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ John Rankin, A history of our firm: being some account of the firm of Pollok, Gilmour and Co. and its offshoots and connections, 1804–1920, publ. 1921, page 304
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 3275.
  3. ^ a b c d "Sir James Rankin", The Times, (London), Monday, 19 Apr 1915, page 4, Issue 40832
  4. ^ Rankin, John (1921). A History of Our Firm: Being Some Account of the Firm of Pollok, Gilmour and Co. and its Offshoots and Connections, 1804-1920. Liverpool: Young. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  5. ^ John Rankin, op cit., page 82
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Leominster
1880–1885 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Leominster
1886–1906 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Leominster
Jan. 1910–1912 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Chairman of the National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations
1894 		Succeeded by
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
New creation Baronet
(of Bryngwyn, Hereford)
1898–1915 		Succeeded by