Constituency : Western Aberdeenshire 1880-1906
The 1880 election saw the Liberals return to power with a big majority making impressive gains everywhere except Ireland. Gladstone's "Midlothian campaign" denouncing the Conservatives' foreign policy drew all the headlines and Disraeli, old and failing, could muster little resistance. His time was over. Of course Gladstone was not actually leader of the Liberal party any more but neither Hartington nor Granville could envisage forming a government without him and he would not accept a subordinate role and so they advised the queen that she must send for him. It has to be said that despite the big victory the 1880 crop were relatively undistinguished with many fairly senior local worthies, careerist barristers and young aristocrats contributing little. Most of them only served the one term.
Robert easily won Western Aberdeenshire after Lord Douglas Gordon shifted to Huntingdonshire.
Robert was a doctor educated at Edinburgh University. He was an assistant surgeon in the Coldstream Guards. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. He was also a considerable landowner.
Robert was a frequent speaker in the House, usually on medical matters. He was an opponent of female suffrage.
In 1892 Robert's majority shrank to just 80.
In 1905 Robert decided to step down at the next election.
In 1912 Robert was peripherally involved in a suffragette protest when Lloyd George visited Aberdeen.
Robert wrote a number of books including the autobiographical In and Out of Parliament.
He died in 1918 aged 81.
No comments:
Post a Comment