Robert Farquharson (21 June 1836 – 8 June 1918) was a Scottish medical doctor and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

politician, who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aberdeenshire West for 25 years.

Early life and education

Farquharson was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, the second eldest of six sons, to Francis Farquharson of

Finzean Finzean ( ; ) is a rural community, electoral polling district, community council area and former ecclesiastical parish, which forms the southern part of the Parish of Birse, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Finzean was the subject of many well-known lan ...

(1802-1876), a well-known ophthalmic surgeon, and his wife Alison Mary (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Ainslie) (1802-1863). Alison was the daughter of Robert Ainslie, a close friend of the poet

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

. Farquharson was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Stockbridge, is now part of the Senior Scho ...

, before receiving his medical education at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, where he graduated with an MD in 1858, presenting the thesis ''"On the parasite diseases of the scalp"''.

Military & medical career

In 1859 Farquharson became an assistant surgeon in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, but was attached to the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

later that year. Upon his retirement in 1868, he became the medical officer for

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, as well as serving as hon. assistant surgeon for the 3rd Warwickshire Rifle Volunteer Corps. After spending time visiting

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

s across

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, he moved to London in 1874, working as a physician at St Mary's Hospital and the

Belgrave Hospital for Children The Belgrave Hospital for Children in Kennington, London, United Kingdom was a voluntary hospital founded in Pimlico, London in 1866. A new hospital building was constructed between 1899 and 1926 at 1 Clapham Road#London, Clapham Road from a desi ...

in London. He also served as a lecturer for St Mary's Hospital School. Farquharson became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1877. In 1878 he was elected a member of the

Harveian Society of Edinburgh The Harveian Society of Edinburgh was founded in April 1782 by Andrew Duncan (physician, born 1744), Andrew Duncan. The Society holds an annual Festival in honour of the life and works of William Harvey, the physician who first correctly des ...

and served as president in 1901. He was also a Justice of the peace and was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Aberdeenshire in the same year.

Political career

Following the death of his father in 1876, Farquharson became the proprietor of the family estate and home, Finzean House. Upon his return to Aberdeenshire, he was twice considered as a candidate for by-elections in the constituencies of

West Aberdeenshire West (or Western) Aberdeenshire was a Scottish county constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1868 to 1918 and from 1950 to 1983. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post sys ...

and Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities. He eventually decided to stand for West Aberdeenshire at the 1880 general election and was subsequently elected. Given his medical background, Farquharson became well known in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

for his work in medical and science affairs, and often served on committees involved in a range of issues, including the

Contagious Diseases Act The Contagious Diseases Acts (CD Acts) were passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1864, with alterations and additions made by the ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. 35) and the ( 32 & 33 Vict. c. 96). In 1862, a committee had been establishe ...

. He was strongly opposed to granting the right to vote to women. Additionally, he was chairman of the Private Bills Committee and the

Scottish Liberal Party The Scottish Liberal Party, the section of the Liberal Party in Scotland, was the dominant political party of Victorian Scotland, and although its importance declined with the rise of the Labour and Unionist parties during the 20th century, it ...

during his final session. From 1898 to 1899, he served as chairman of the Parliamentary Bills Committee of the B.M.A. In 1884, he was a guest at

Haddo House Haddo House is a Scottish stately home located near Tarves, Aberdeenshire, Tarves in Aberdeenshire, approximately north of Aberdeen (). The former seat of the Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, Earls and Marquesses of Aberdeen and Temair, Haddo Ho ...

for a dinner hosted by

John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, (3 August 1847 – 7 March 1934), styled Earl of Aberdeen from 1870–1916, was a Scottish peer and colonial administrator. Born in Edinburgh, Aberdeen held office in sever ...

in honour of

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

on his tour of Scotland. Farquharson was re-elected five times, although his majority in 1886 was down to 80. In 1905 he announced he would stand down at the following election, and he was succeeded by John Henderson in

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

Robert Farquharson Vanity Fair 30 May 1895

Personal life

Farquharson and his younger brother

Joseph Farquharson Joseph Farquharson (4 May 1846 – 15 April 1935) was a Scottish painter, chiefly of landscapes in Scotland often including animals. He is most famous for his snowy winter landscapes, often featuring sheep and often depicting dawn or dusk. He ...

looked after the estate at Finzean, Aberdeenshire. His brother was an artist and through this connection, he had his portrait painted by the American artist

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 15, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era, Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil ...

.John Singer Sargent's Dr. Robert Farquharson of Finzean
/ref> Farquharson was the author of numerous books including his autobiographical ''My First Election, from In and Out of Parliament'' (1911) and ''The House of Commons from Within'' (1912). A lifelong bachelor, Farquharson died in June 1918, following a long illness of almost two years. He was buried in the family plot in

Birse Birse () is a parish in the Lower Deeside area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which includes the communities of Finzean and Ballogie. However the name Birse is often used to refer only to the northwestern part of the parish which lies on the sou ...

, alongside his parents.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farquharson, Robert 1836 births 1918 deaths Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1880–1885 UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 People from Birse Deputy lieutenants of Aberdeenshire Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom