Background
He was the son of Jonathan Thomson, merchant of Glasgow, and Emma Whitley of Halifax.
He was the son of Jonathan Thomson, merchant of Glasgow, and Emma Whitley of Halifax.
He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Andersonian University, Glasgow.
They had one daughter. In 1914 they received grant by Royal Licensee to use the surname Whitley-Thomson. He sat as Liberal Member of Parliament for Skipton from 1900-1906.
In 1900, standing for parliament for the first time, he surprisingly gained the seat from the Liberal Unionists;
He stood down at the General Election of January 1906.
In 1908 he stood as Liberal candidate at the Ross by-election, 1908 in Herefordshire. He was unable to hold this marginal Liberal seat.
In 1908 He was appointed as an Alderman of Halifax Borough Council and served as the Mayor of Halifax from 1908-1911. He was a Justice of the Peace for Halifax.
In January 1910 he stood as Liberal candidate at Colchester.
This was another Liberal seat, but again he failed to hold lieutenant He did not stand for parliament again. He was instrumental in raising a fund of £10,000 for the Royal Halifax Infirmary and Halifax District Nursing Association in memory of King Edward VII. He was President of Halifax Chamber of Commerce from 1912-1914.
He was Chairman of the Finance Committee of Halifax Borough Council from 1913-1919.
He was Chairman of Halifax War Refugees Committee, and received from King Albert I of Belgium the Medaille du Roi in recognition of services to Belgian refugees, resident in Halifax and district during the Great War. He was knighted in the 1916 Birthday Honours.
27th United Kingdom Parliament]
He was Vice-President of Halifax Liberal Association and a member of Halifax Chamber of Commerce.