Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 8, 2026

Theodore Fry

Sir Theodore Fry, 1st Baronet was an English businessman and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1895.

Last revised
Jul 8, 2026
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Theodore Fry
"Not a Small Fry", caricature by Spy in Vanity Fair, 1909
Member of Parliament (MP) for Darlington
In office
18801895
Preceded byEdmund Backhouse
Succeeded byArthur Pease
Personal details
Born(1836-05-01)1 May 1836
Bristol, England
Died5 February 1912(1912-02-05) (aged 75)
Beechhanger Court, Caterham, Surrey, England
PartyLiberal
Spouse(s)
(m. 1862; died 1897)

Florence Bates
(m. 1902)
Parents

Sir Theodore Fry, 1st Baronet (1 May 1836 – 5 February 1912) was an English businessman and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1895.

Life

He was the son of Francis Fry, of Bristol, and his wife Matilda Penrose, daughter of Daniel Penrose and was educated at Bristol. Fry was active in business in the North East, as director of the Bearpark Coal and Coke Co; director of Shildon and Weardale Waterworks, and head of Fry Janson and Co, iron manufacturers of Darlington.1 He was mayor of Darlington 1877–1878.2

At the 1880 general election Fry was elected member of parliament (MP) for Darlington, and held the seat until the 1895 general election.3 He was made a baronet, of Woodburn in the parish of Blackwell in the County of Durham, in 1894.4

Caterham Cemetery source ↗

Fry died at the age of 75 at his residence, Beechhanger Court, Caterham.5

Family

Fry married Sophia Pease (1837–1897), a philanthropist and political activist and granddaughter of the railway pioneer Edward Pease.6 After her death, he married Florence Bates in 1902.5

References

References

External links