Thomas Gresham

Sir Thomas Gresham (c. 1519–1579) was a London merchant and royal financier to Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Appointed the crown's agent in Antwerp in 1551, he negotiated royal loans abroad and worked to support the pound after the Henrician debasements. Knighted in 1559, he served as envoy in the Netherlands until unrest forced him to leave Antwerp in 1567.

From London he continued his business and in 1565 founded the Royal Exchange, opened by the queen in 1571; his bequest established Gresham College. He died on 21 November 1579, and Gresham's law is named for him.