Robert Thomas Jamison (1829 – 27 January 1878) was an Australian pastoralist and politician. He was a member of 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 ...

from 1856 until 1860.

Early life

Jamison was the grandson of

Thomas Jamison Thomas Jamison ( – 25 January 1811) was a naval surgeon, who was surgeon mate on as part First Fleet which founded Colony of New South Wales in 1788. He was surgeon at the Norfolk Island settlement, before returning to Sydney and becoming pr ...

a surgeon on the First Fleet and was the son of Sir John Jamison a prominent Sydney physician and one time member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. His mother Mary Griffiths, was one of John Jamison's mistresses with whom se had two sons and five daughters. John Jamison married Mary a few months before his death. Robert was born at the family's extensive estate on the

Nepean River Nepean River (Darug: Yandhai), is a major perennial river, located in the south-west and west of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Nepean River and its associated mouth, the Hawkesbury River, almost encircles the metropolitan region of ...

and was educated at Sydney College. He inherited a share of his father's estate in 1844 and worked for a short while as he Clerk of the Legislative Council. Jamison acquired extensive pastoral property on the

Namoi River The Namoi River, a major perennial river that is part of the Barwon catchment of the Murray–Darling basin, is located in the Northern Tablelands and North West Slopes districts of New South Wales, Australia. The Namoi River rises on the west ...

and by 1850 was independently wealthy. He was active on the bench of magistrates.

Colonial Parliament

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voya ...

, at the first election held under responsible self-government, Jamison was elected as one of the two members in the Legislative Assembly for Cook and Westmoreland. He retained the seat unopposed at the next election in

1858 Events January–March * January – ** Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. ** William I of Prussia becomes regen ...

and successfully contested the new seat of

Nepean Nepean may refer to: Places Australia *Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia, **Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia, **Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality *Nepean Highway, Victoria *Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...

when Cook and Westmoreland was abolished at the

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final ...

election. He was defeated in

1860 Events January–March * January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France. * January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...

and retired from public life. Jamison did not hold parliamentary or ministerial office.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamison, Robert 1829 births 1878 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly 19th-century Australian politicians