(Thomas) Herbert Robertson (26 April 1849 – 11 July 1916) was a British

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician. He was the only son of Thomas Storm Robertson, a physician and

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) is a professional certification, professional qualification to practise as a senior surgeon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland or the United Kingdom. It is bestowed on an wikt:intercollegiate, ...

. Following education at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, from which he graduated in 1872, he studied law. He was called to the bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1878. In 1880 he married Helen Alexandria Melian Durdin, co-heiress of Alexander Durdin of Huntington Castle,

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The couple divided their time between the Irish estate (in 1899 Robertson was

High Sheriff of Carlow The High Sheriff of Carlow was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Carlow, Ireland from the 14th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Free State and replaced by the office of Carlow County Sheriff. The sh ...

) and their London home "The Cedars",

South Hackney South Hackney is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney. It is in East London and is about northeast of Charing Cross. The Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy on the corner of Victoria Park Road and Lammas Wal ...

. They were well known for their philanthropic works in the Hackney area. In 1892 a general election was called, and Robertson was selected as the Conservative candidate to contest the Hackney South constituency. He failed to unseat the sitting

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 ...

Member of Parliament and cabinet minister, Sir Charles Russell. Russell was elevated to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in 1894, and Robertson was again Conservative candidate at the ensuing by-election. He narrowly failed to win the seat, reducing the Liberal majority to 192 votes. Three years later a

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

was held, and Robertson succeeded in taking the seat with a small majority of 319 votes. He was re-elected at the 1900 general election, by the slightly larger margin of 338 votes, but lost his seat 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, ...

, when a Liberal landslide saw him defeated by over 3,400 votes. Robertson retired from politics and devoted himself to his Irish estate while maintaining a London home in

Bedford Square Bedford Square is a garden square in the Bloomsbury district of the London Borough of Camden, Borough of Camden in London, England. History Built between 1775 and 1783 as an upper middle class residential area, the square has had many disti ...

. He died at his London residence in July 1916, aged 67. His granddaughter was

Olivia Robertson Olivia Melian Durdin-Robertson (13 April 1917 – 14 November 2013) was an author, artist, co-founder and high priestess of the Fellowship of Isis.Fellowship of Isis The Fellowship of Isis (FOI) is a multi-faith spiritual organization focused on increasing awareness for the Goddess Isis. The Fellowship of Isis believes Isis best represents the energies of the dawning Aquarian Age. Despite worshipping paga ...

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* Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Hackney Members of Parliament 1849 births 1916 deaths UK MPs 1895–1900 UK MPs 1900–1906 Members of Lincoln's Inn Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford High sheriffs of Carlow {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1840s-stub