High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Thomas Robinson Ferens (4 May 1847 – 9 May 1930) was a British politician, a philanthropist, and an industrialist. He was the Member of Parliament for Hull East for 13 years, and served the city as a Justice of the Peace and as High Steward. He helped establish Reckitt Sons, a manufacturer of household goods, as one of Kingston upon Hull’s foremost businesses. His career with the company spanned 61 years—from his initial employment as a confidential and shorthand clerk until his death, as chairman, in 1930.