The Queen's Merchant: The Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham

Sir Thomas Gresham 1519-1579, born in London, descended from an ancient Norfolk family. His father, Sir Richard Gresham, a leading city merchant and Lord Mayor of London, was knighted by King Henry VIII for negotiating favorable loans with foreign merchants. Like his father, Sir Thomas Gresham was an English Merchant and Financier who acted on behalf of King Edward VI (1547 - 1553) and Edward’s half-sisters, Queens Mary I (1553 - 1558) and Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). After the accession of Elizabeth I to the throne, he spent most of his time in London when he wasn’t traveling on diplomatic and financial missions for the Queen. He accumulated a great private fortune as a banker, mercer, and merchant. Sir Thomas Gresham was the founder of the Royal Exchange, and he endowed Gresham College in London, both of which still exist today. By applying his knowledge and principals to England’s financial empire, he restored the debased currency of England and thereby reduced or in some cases eliminated the Crown’s debts. The now well-known financial principal called “Gresham's Law” gets its name from him, which states: “Bad money drives out good”.Read more