Portrait of David Wedderburn Wellcome L0005697

Sir David Wedderburn, 3rd Baronet (20 December 1835 – 18 September 1882) was a British politician.

Life

David Wedderburn was the second son of Sir John Wedderburn, 2nd Baronet, and Henrietta Louise Milburn. His grandfather, Sir David, had had the title of the Wedderburn baronetcy restored to the family, following the attainder after the Jacobite rising of 1745 and the subsequent regain of fortune via the slave sugar plantations of Jamaica. He studied law at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated as senior optime in 1858. He was called to the Scottish bar as an advocate in 1861. He succeeded to the title upon his father's death in 1862, his elder brother John having died in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Midlothian Midlothian (; gd, Meadhan Lodainn) is a historic county, registration county, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh, ...

and a captain in the Midlothian Yeomanry. He was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for

South Ayrshire South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...

in 1868, holding the seat until 1874. He was then elected for Haddington Burghs in

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

, resigning in 1882 by becoming Steward of the Manor of Northstead. In April 1873, he visited

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. He confessed his republican convictions to the great French poet, but added : "If I said that aloud, I would not be re-elected". He travelled widely, returning to India as an adult, and visiting the United States, Canada, China, Japan, Java, Iceland, South Africa, and throughout Europe. His travel journals and his political writings were edited and published after his death by his youngest sister, Louisa Jane, assisted by her husband Edward Hope Percival. He wrote for '' The Nineteenth Century'' and '' The Fortnightly Review'', two of the most prominent periodicals of the time. He lived at Inveresk Lodge, south of

Musselburgh Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of . History The name Musselburgh is Ol ...

. He never married. On his death in 1882, the title went to his youngest brother, William Wedderburn, one of the founders of the Indian National Congress. He is buried in St. Michael's churchyard in Inveresk. The grave lies midway along the western boundary of the original churchyard, backing onto the Victorian cemetery.

Sources

*Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench, 1870, page 282

References

* *

External links

* 1835 births 1882 deaths Scottish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom UK MPs 1874–1880 UK MPs 1880–1885 Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British Yeomanry officers David {{Scotland-Liberal-UK-MP-stub