Robert Crompton (1869 – 19 December 1958) was a British lawyer and politician in Fiji. Alongside

Henry Marks Sir Henry Marks (5 February 1861 – 5 June 1938) was an Australian-born Fijian politician, serving as a member of the Legislative Council of Fiji for over twenty years. Alongside Robert Crompton, John Maynard Hedstrom and Henry Milne Scott, h ...

John Maynard Hedstrom Sir John Maynard Hedstrom (22 February 1872 – 2 June 1951) was a Fijian businessman and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council for over 30 years. Alongside Robert Crompton, Henry Marks and Henry Milne Scott, he was one o ...

and

Henry Milne Scott Sir Henry Milne Scott (10 April 1876 – 20 May 1956) was a Fijian lawyer, businessman, politician and international cricketer. Alongside Robert Crompton, Henry Marks and John Maynard Hedstrom, he was one of the 'big four' that heavily influence ...

, he was one of the 'big four' that heavily influenced the Fijian economy and political sphere in the first half of the 20th century.Death of Robert Crompton: Last of the Fiji big four
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', January 1959, pp15, 145

Biography

Crompton was born in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1869 to an English father, and was educated at a

Bluecoat school A bluecoat school is a type of charity school in England, the first of which was founded in the 16th century. Most of them have closed; some remain open as schools, often on different sites, and some of the original buildings have been adapted ...

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

. After qualifying as a lawyer, he moved to Fiji in 1904 and founded a law firm, going on to represent Hedstrom and Marks. He was also involved in several businesses, serving as a director of Morris Hedstrom.Atu Emberson-Bain (2002
''Labour and Gold in Fiji''
Cambridge University Press, p34 In 1914 elections he ran unopposed in the Southern constituency and was elected to the Legislative Council. He was made a CBE after World War I for raising funds and contingents to support the war effort.''Who was who 1951–1960'', A. & C. Black, p260 He was returned unopposed in the 1917 elections, but was defeated by Francis Riemenschneider in the 1920 elections. In 1924, he became a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

(Queen's Counsel from 6 February 1952), and later formed a legal partnership with his son Hollins under the name Cromptons. He served on the Executive Council in 1934, and again between 1941 and 1944. His first wife Roseline Allen died in 1927; the couple had four children, Hollins, Robert, Rose and Ruve.Tragic Accident: Mr. Hollins Crompton's Death
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1933, p18 Hollins and Rose both married into the Hedstrom family. Crompton subsequently married Thelma Sutherland in 1929. After she died in 1933, he married Vera Crawford the following year. When Crompton retired, his son Robert took over the legal firm. He died in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand on 19 December 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crompton, Robert 1869 births British emigrants to Fiji British emigrants to New Zealand British people of English descent 20th-century Fijian lawyers 20th-century Fijian businesspeople Fijian Queen's Counsel Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Legislative Council of Fiji Members of the Executive Council of Fiji 1958 deaths British expatriates in the Russian Empire