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Sir David Wedderburn, 1st Baronet (10 March 1775 – 7 April 1858) was a Scottish businessman and
Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...
politician. He was Postmaster General for Scotland 1823-31 and a member of two London militias before that.


Family background

Wedderburn was the oldest surviving son of John Wedderburn (1729–1803, styled 6th Baronet) of Ballindean and his first wife Margaret Ogilvy, daughter of David Ogilvy (styled Lord Ogilvy) and Margaret Ogilvy. Both his father's and his mother's family had been attainted after the
Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...
, losing their titles, but his father continued to style himself as a baronet. His father had escaped to Jamaica after the execution of his own father,
Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness Sir John Wedderburn, 5th Baronet of Blackness, (1704–1746) was a Perthshire gentleman who joined the 1745 rebellion of Charles Edward Stuart. He was captured at the Battle of Culloden, taken to London, and convicted of treason. He was hanged, ...
, and had established a successful business based on slave sugar, trading with his brother and cousins in their London trading house Wedderburn, Webster & Co. His mother died two weeks after his birth. When he was five years old, his father re-married, giving him as stepmother Alice Dundas,Wedderburn biographical details at www.stanford.edu
Retrieved June 2012
who was related to
Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was a British politician who served as Home Secretary from 1791 to 1794 and First Lord of the Admirality from 1804 to 1805. He ...
, the Tory politician. David Wedderburn had two full sisters, Margaret and Jean, and according to the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project, seven half-siblings. The eldest, James, died young.Legacy of British Slave-owners
John Wedderburn of Balindean (1729 - 13th Jun 1803)
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
(1789–1862) succeeded David as the second baronet. (Genealogist Joseph Foster writes that the second baronet's children included
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
(1835-1882) and
William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
(1838-1918), the third and fourth baronets respectively; the eldest son John had joined the Bengal Civil Service and died in the Indian Mutiny of 1857.) Alexander (1791-1839) was a soldier. The four girls were Maria, Susan, Louisa Dorothea, and Anne. On 9 February 1803, aged 16, Louisa married General John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun. Anne married Sir John Hope, 11th Baronet Hope of Craighall.


Business and politics

In 1796 David Wedderburn joined the business, at 35
Leadenhall Street __NOTOC__ Leadenhall Street () is a street in the City of London. It is about and links Cornhill, London, Cornhill in the west to Aldgate in the east. It was formerly the start of the A11 road (England), A11 road from London to Norwich, but th ...
in London, and made large profits. In 1803, he inherited his father's estates in Jamaica and at Ballindean, and was made a baronet, of Ballindean in Perthshire. He was elected at a by-election in 1805 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Perth Burghs. He had the support of the 9th Earl of Kellie, but was opposed by
Sir David Scott, 2nd Baronet Sir David Scott, 2nd Baronet, Royal Guelphic Order, KH (25 July 1782 – 18 June 1851) of Dunninald Castle, Scotland, was a Scottish Tories (British political party), Tory politician. Biography Early life David Scott was born on 25 July 1782, ...
, son of the deceased MP David Scott (of Dunninald). Scott had the support of the powerful Lord Melville, but by the time he began his canvassing, Wedderburn was too far ahead to be dislodged. He was re-elected unopposed at the next three general elections. In the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
he voted as a loyal Tory, though after 1812 he did not attend Parliament frequently. He is believed to have never spoken in the Commons. Wedderburn left Wedderburn, Webster & Co in 1816 and retired from Parliament at the 1818 general election. He sold the Ballindean estate in 1820 to William Trotter for 67 000. He served as Postmaster General for Scotland from 1823 to 1831. He is buried in Inveresk churchyard. The grave lies midway along the western boundary of the original churchyard, backing onto the Victorian cemetery.


Marriage and legacy

He married Margaret Brown (1775-1845). They had two sons, but both died before Sir David, so the title went to his half-brother, Sir John Wedderburn, son of Alice Dundas.


See also

* Clan Wedderburn


References


External links

*
His entry at History of Parliament Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedderburn, David 1775 births 1858 deaths Nobility from Perth and Kinross Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 Tory MPs (pre-1834) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Dundee constituencies 201
David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...
18th-century Scottish businesspeople 19th-century Scottish businesspeople