Constituency : Ashburton 1865-8, Dumfries Burghs 1868-74, Dumfriesshire 1880-92 ( from 1886 Liberal Unionist )
In the south west of England the Liberals slipped back slightly with a net loss of four seats, the most notable casualty being Palmerston's running mate, George Denman.
Robert took Ashburton from the Tories to become the constituency's last ever MP. His uncle William had been a previous MP.
Robert was the head of the Jardine Matheson & Co trading concern which operated in China and was infamously associated with the opium trade. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Robert returned to his native Scotland when the seat was abolished in 1868. He won Dumfries Burghs by 42 votes over fellow Liberal Ernest Noel. He swapped to the county seat for the 1874 election but wasn't elected until 1880. In 1885 he was created a baronet.
Robert joined the Liberal Unionists in 1886 but held his seat.
He died in 1905 aged 79.
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