Thomas Chenery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Chenery
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Caricature by Spy published in Vanity Fair in 1879
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| Born | 1826 |
| Died | 11 February 1884 (aged 57–58) London, England
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| Education | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Editor of The Times |
| Spouse(s) | None |
Thomas William Chenery (born 1826 – died 11 February 1884) was an English expert in languages and the editor of a famous newspaper called The Times. He had a background in working with different countries, and he chose great reporters. This helped The Times become well-known again for its international news.
Early Life and Education
Thomas Chenery was born in Barbados in 1826. His father, John Chenery, was a merchant who traded in the West Indies. Thomas went to two well-known schools in England: Eton and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
Reporting from Abroad
After finishing his studies in 1854, Thomas Chenery was asked to work for The Times newspaper. He was sent to Istanbul, a big city in Turkey. He arrived there in March 1854.
Thomas quickly showed he was a very good reporter, especially when dealing with international events. He covered the Crimean War, which was a big conflict happening at the time. He mostly reported from Istanbul, but sometimes he went to the actual battlefront. While in Istanbul, Thomas met Percy Smythe. Percy Smythe got Thomas interested in philology, which is the study of languages and how they develop. Thomas later became very good at this.
A Scholar and Writer
After the war, Thomas Chenery came back to London. He became a leader writer for The Times. A leader writer writes important articles that share the newspaper's opinion. While doing this, he also kept studying Oriental languages, which are languages from the East.
Thomas was very talented with languages. He could speak Arabic, Hebrew, modern Greek, and Turkish. He was even part of a group that helped prepare a new version of the Old Testament part of the Bible. His translation of the first 26 chapters of an old Arabic book called The Assemblies of Al-Hariri was very impressive. Because of this work, he became a professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford. He also worked as a secretary for the Royal Asiatic Society, a group that studies Asia.
Leading The Times
In 1877, John Walter, who owned The Times, chose Thomas Chenery to be the new editor. He took over from John Thadeus Delane. Thomas was very experienced and knew a lot about international affairs, especially those in the East. He worked very hard and made quick, smart decisions.
Even though he was a great editor, Thomas Chenery couldn't stop the newspaper from becoming more focused on one political party. This happened because John Walter, the owner, was a member of the Conservative Party. In 1880, George Earle Buckle, who Walter chose, became the assistant editor. George Buckle took on more duties in 1883 because Thomas Chenery's health was getting worse. Thomas continued as editor until he passed away on 11 February 1884.
Thomas Chenery is buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.
