Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Co. issued to and signed by Sir Charles Tennant, Baronet - 1900 dated Autographed Stock Certificate

Sir Charles Clow Tennant, 1st Baronet, JP, DL (4 November 1823 – 4 June 1906) was a Scottish businessman, industrialist and Liberal politician. In 1843, he entered the St Rollox chemical works, Glasgow which had been established by his grandfather Charles to produce bleaching powder and other chemicals, and went on to become the largest alkali works in Europe. Sir Charles Tennant was a global industrialist, with business across many continents in railways, steel, explosives, copper, sulphur and merchant banking. Tennant served as President of the United Alkali Company which would become a cornerstone of Imperial Chemical Industries becoming extremely wealthy in the process while being a supporter of political reform, and a major collector of art. Tennant also became Chairman of the Union Bank of Scotland and was the driving force in establishing C. Tennant, Sons & Company as a merchant bank in the City of London.

Tennant also sat as Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow from 1879 to 1880 and for Peebles and Selkirk from 1880 to 1886. He unsuccessfully contested Partick at a by-election in 1890. He was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 4th (Glasgow, 1st Northern) Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteer Corps (later 4th Volunteer Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)) in 1880.

He was also a Trustee of the National Gallery and was appointed a Member of the Tariff Commission in 1904. In 1885, he was created a Baronet and held the office of Justice of the Peace and Deputy Lieutenant. Tennant was chairman of Nobel Explosives Company from 1900 to 1906.