Thomas Staniforth (1735–1803) was an English slave-trader, merchant and politician.

He was originally from Sheffield, but spent most of his life in Liverpool.

The family was a prominent family from Darnall, Sheffield but Thomas lived for most of his life in Liverpool, where he took part in the slave trade along with his son Samuel.

[1] Records show that both he and his son Samuel Staniforth, a man who would follow in his father's footsteps and become Mayor of Liverpool for 1812–1813, took part in the sale of many African slaves between Europe and the United States.

He was also the grandfather of Anglican priest Thomas Staniforth, the great-grandfather of politician John Greenwood and so the ancestor of English national cricket captain R. T. Stanyforth.