Constituency : Sudbury 1840-1, Shrewsbury 1841-7 (Tory) 1852-68, Great Grimsby 1868-74
George was a wealthy landowner educated at Cambridge who started out as a Tory in the pocket borough of Sudbury where he was elected unopposed in 1840. He was noted for strength and athleticism. He went with the Peelites despite sharing the representation of Shrewsbury with Disraeli whom he intensely disliked after some ungentlemanly behaviour during their victory parade in 1841. Peel commented "The best of my young men were Tomline and Gladstone". He was defeated in 1847 but got back in in 1852 having overtaken Robert Slaney in the favour of the local party. He was the founding chairman of the Felixstowe Railway and Pier Company and developed the Port of Felixstowe. He was generally known as "Colonel" Tomline although this only referred to an honorary position in the militia.
George did not speak in the House until 1871 and then only on obtuse legal points. Cowling describes him as a rural backbencher of no particular opinion. He was not teetotal himself but loathed drunkenness
George was a keen astronomer and built Orwell Park Observatory. He was also a keen bibliophile and art collector
In 1874 George switched to Suffolk East but was easily defeated. He then switched to Harwich in 1880 and lost narrowly. His last failed attempt at returning to Parliament was the North Lincolnshire by-election of 1881.
His health deteriorated after a stroke in 1888 and he died the following year aged 76. Unusually for the time, his will stipulated that he be cremated.
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