Robert Herbertson (1852–1940) was a politician in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. He was a Member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Early life

Robert Herberston was born on 4 January 1852 in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

, the son of Andrew Herbertson and Christiana (née Stewart). His father was a horticulturalist and Superintendent of the Government Gardens, later the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, under Sir

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

, (a

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the governor is Gov ...

). His mother was attendant to Lady

Jane Franklin Jane, Lady Franklin (née Griffin; 4 December 1791 – 18 July 1875) was a British explorer, seasoned traveller and the second wife of the English explorer Sir John Franklin. During her husband's period as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's L ...

and accompanied Lady Franklin on travels to South Australia, New Zealand and Macquarie Harbour. Herbertson was educated in Hobart. At age 17 he went to the

Colony of Victoria The Colony of Victoria was a historical administrative division in Australia that existed from 1851 until 1901, when it federated with other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the southeastern corner of the Australian ...

to try his luck on the goldfields. Later he went to Melbourne, where after managing a brick and tile company, he became a public works contractor. In 1878–1879 he was one of ten expeditioners who undertook an ill-fated search for gold in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

; he maintained a diary throughout the trip. Acting upon medical advice, he came to Queensland, and for a time ran a hotel in Gladstone. He also was a mining investor and a sawmiller.

Politics

Herbertson took a keen interest in local affairs and was for some years an alderman of

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 ...

and served as mayor for one term. He was also a member of the Calliope Shire Council, where he was twice chairman. Herbertson was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly on 27 August 1904 as the Member for

Port Curtis Port Curtis is a suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Port Curtis had a population of 309 people. Geography The Fitzroy River bounds the suburb to the north-east. Gavial Creek, a tributary of the ...

. He held the seat until 2 October 1909, when he was defeated by

Edward Breslin Edward Denis Joseph Breslin (10 March 1882 – 26 August 1914) was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Biography Breslin was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the son of Cornelius Connell Breslin and his wife Ellen (née Gallagher). H ...

Later life

Herbertson died on 1 March 1940 in

Ormiston Ormiston is a village in East Lothian, Scotland, near Tranent, Humbie, Pencaitland and Cranston, located on the north bank of the River Tyne at an elevation of about . The village was the first planned village in Scotland, founded in 173 ...

, Queensland where he had lived for many years. He was 88 years old.

Early life

Politics

Later life

References

Further reading