Caleb Banks (18 September 1659 – 13 September 1696) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

between 1685 and 1696.

Biography

Banks was the son of

Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet FRS (1627 – 18 October 1699) was an English merchant and MP, who rose from relatively humble beginnings to be one of the wealthiest merchants in London and owner of several properties. Life Banks was the son of Ca ...

and his wife Elizabeth Dethick, daughter of Sir John Dethick.Charles Henry Fielding. Memories of Malling and its valley (Latin inscription)
/ref> He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge and admitted at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in February 1675. He was a pupil of John Locke who accompanied him in France his travels in France from 1677 to 1679. Banks stood unsuccessfully for parliament at

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a small town in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex, within the historic county of Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The ...

in 1679 when he was under age. He was a captain of the militia for Kent and a Deputy Lieutenant for the county from 1683 with a short interruption in 1688.Basil Duke Henning ''The House of Commons, 1660-1690, Volume 1''
/ref> Banks was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

Queenborough Queenborough is a town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. Queenborough is south of Sheerness. It grew as a port near the Thames Estuary at the westward entrance to the Swale where it joins the R ...

in 1685 and for

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

in 1689. In 1689 he became a J.P. and a commissioner for assessment. In 1691 he was elected MP for

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

until 1695, and was an assistant warden of

Rochester Bridge Rochester Bridge in Rochester, Medway was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in South East England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact four separate bridges ...

from 1693. He was elected MP for Queenborough again in 1695 until his death in 1696. Banks suffered from ill health throughout his life and died aged 36 before his father. He was buried at Aylesford Church. Banks married Elizabeth Fortrey, daughter of Samuel Fortrey but there were no children, rendering his father's baronetcy extinct.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Caleb 1659 births 1696 deaths Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Deputy Lieutenants of Kent Members of Gray's Inn English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695