Robert McIntosh Isaacs (26 September 1815 – 26 March 1876) was an Australian politician. Robert M. Isaacs was born at

Tortola Tortola () is the largest and most populated island of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. It has a surface area of with a total population of 23,908, with 9,400 residents in ...

in the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = "Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Brit ...

, the son of Robert Glover Isaacs and Ann (''née'' Frett). He was educated in England and called to the bar in 1839. On 27 July 1841, he married Barberina Rogers Harrison, with whom he had six children. From about 1846, Isaacs practiced as a barrister on the island of

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in the West Indies, during which time he was a member of the Legislature. For a period, he filled the role of acting Chief Justice and for several years was Chancellor to the Bishop. Isaacs and his family left the West Indies at the end of 1854 for England.Obituary: Mr. R. M. Isaacs
''Sydney Morning Herald'', 7 April 1876, page 7. In October 1855, Isaacs and his family sailed from Liverpool for Australia aboard the clipper ship '' Schomberg'' on her maiden voyage, which was wrecked near Cape Otway on 27 December 1855. Isaacs, his wife and children were removed from the wreck and shortly afterwards came to Sydney. A member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

from 1857 to 1861, he refused appointment as

Attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

. His period as member of the Upper House was "characterised by rather extreme views". In 1865, he was elected to the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

for Yass Plains, serving until his retirement in 1869. Isaacs was appointed as Solicitor-General in the second government of James Martin in 22 January 1866, and continued in that role until 26 October 1868. In 1871, he moved to

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

to serve as chancellor of the Anglican archdiocese of Hobart, returning to Sydney in 1872 where he became Crown Prosecutor for the western districts. A conservative politically, he described himself as a

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

. Isaacs died at his residence in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

on 26 March 1876.Death of Mr. R. M. Isaacs
''Evening News'' (Sydney), 27 March 1876, page 2.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Isaacs, Robert 1814 births 1876 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Solicitors General for New South Wales 19th-century Australian politicians