Sir Samuel Fludyer, 1st Baronet

Sir Samuel Fludyer, 1st Baronet (c. 1704 – 18 January 1768), of Lee Place in Kent, was an English merchant and banker who served as a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.

[2] Joining his father's business, he expanded it greatly until he was one of the city's foremost merchants; by the time of his death his fortune was said to amount to £900,000 (equivalent to £150,885,000 in 2023).

Becoming a member of the Clothworkers' Company, he was elected to Common Council in 1734, became an alderman in 1751, was sheriff in 1754–1755 and Lord Mayor in 1761–1762.

[4] In 1754, Fludyer entered Parliament, having spent £1,500 to secure a seat at Chippenham in Wiltshire; Chippenham was a textile town, and Fludyer cemented his influence by agreeing to buy all its manufactured cloth at premium prices, which played an important part in establishing the town's prosperity.

At the general election of 1761 he stood as parliamentary candidate for the City of London, but despite having been one of the four victors on an informal show of hands was defeated at the poll; however, as he had taken the precaution of also being returned once more for Chippenham, he remained an MP.