Constituency: South Shields 1832-41, 1852-68
Robert was a Newcastle surgeon's son educated at Harrow and Oxford who became a barrister. He became an MP in 1832 at the age of 39 but lost the seat to a fellow Whig in 1841 due to rumours that he had personally benefited from a scheme to improve the Tyne which disadvantaged Shields vis-a-vis Newcastle . He won it back by a landslide against the Conservatives on his original opponent's retirement eleven years later.
Robert combined his political career with holding various legal offices. He was Recorder of Berwick-upon-Tweed ( 1832-70 ) and Attorney-General of Durham ( 1846-61). Although he was a frequent speaker in the House his name does not seem to have become attached to any particular cause.
He died in 1875 aged 72 and was commemorated by the naming of the local infirmary.
No comments:
Post a Comment