Archibald Hutcheson was a British Member of Parliament (MP) .

He was the son of Archibald Hutcheson of Stracum or Stranocum, Co. Antrim. He trained as a barrister and was called to the bar in 1683. He was appointed Attorney-General of the Leeward Islands (1688–1702). In November, 1708 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

He was returned as MP for the constituency of Hastings

Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)

Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....

 from 1713 until 1727. He was also elected MP for Westminster

Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)

Westminster was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of England to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain 1707-1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. It returned two members to 1885 and one thereafter....

 in 1722, but that election was declared void because Archibald was at that time still the member for Hastings. Westminster was the borough constituency with the largest electorate before the Reform Act 1832

Reform Act 1832

The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...

 (estimated by Namier and Brooke at about 12,000 voters later in the eighteenth century). Contested elections there were often hard fought.

He was an impassioned opponent of the repeal of the Triennial Act

Triennial Acts

The Triennial Act 1641 was an Act passed on 15 February 1641, by the English Long Parliament, during the reign of King Charles I. The act requires that Parliament meet for at least a fifty-day session once every three years. It was intended to prevent kings from ruling without Parliament, as...

.

In his old age he took part in the efforts of Thomas Coram and others to establish a home for abandoned children in London. In 1739, the year before Hutcheson's death, a Royal Charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 was granted by George II

George II of Great Britain

George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...

 for a new charity which became known as the Foundling Hospital

Foundling Hospital

The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...

. The Charter listed Hutcheson as one of the founding governors.

He had married four times, secondly to Mary Gayer, widow, of Stepney, thirdly to Rebecca and fourthly to Elizabeth, widow of Colonel Robert Stewart of Montserrat