Robert Ferguson of Raith

Robert Ferguson (1767 – 3 December 1840) of Raith, was at various times a Whig Member of Parliament for Fifeshire, Haddingtonshire and Kirkcaldy Burghs, and at the time of his death he was Lord Lieutenant of the county of Fife.^[1]

Biography

Robert Ferguson was the eldest son of William Ferguson of Raith, Fifeshire, and Jane, daughter of Ronald Craufurd of Restalrig, (sister to Margaret, countess of Dumfries). General Sir Ronald Craufurd Ferguson was his brother.^[1]

Robert Ferguson was elected to the Whig parliament of 1806 for Fifeshire, but was not afterwards elected until the time of the Reform Bill, upon which he represented the Kirkcaldy district of Burghs from 1831 to 1835, and in the latter year was returned for Haddingtonshire, defeating Mr. Hope, the Tory candidate, by 268 to 231 votes. At the general election of 1837 he was in turn defeated by Lord Ramsay, who polled 299 votes to 205. He then returned to the representation of the Kirkcaldy division of Burghs. He was a cordial supporter of the measures of the Whig government, and opposed to the ballot.^[2] He was Lord Lieutenant of Fife.

Family

Mr. Ferguson married Mary, only daughter of William Hamilton Nisbet, esq. of Dirleton, co. Haddington, the divorced wife (in 1808) of Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and mother of Lord Bruce (1800–1840), (who died unmarried two days before Mr Ferguson) and three daughters. Ferguson had no children.^[3]

References

Attribution

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Urban, Sylvanus, ed. (1841). "Obituary Robert Furguson". The Gentleman's magazine 169. Printed by F. Jefferies. pp. 225, 315, 316. 

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Robert Ferguson of Raith