Sir Robert Alexander Ferguson, 2nd Baronet (26 December 1795 –13 March 1860) was a Whig and then

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Ferguson was born in

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

in 1796 as son of Sir Andrew Ferguson (1761–1808), a banker and mayor of Derry from 1796 to 1798, and Elizabeth, daughter of the Derry merchant Robert Alexander of Broom Hall, who was the brother of

James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon James Alexander, 1st Earl of Caledon (1730 – 22 March 1802) was an Irish landlord, merchant, politician and member of the UK's House of Lords (upper chamber of parliament) as a representative peer for Northern Ireland. An Irish 'nabob' Alexan ...

. Ferguson succeeded to the baronetcy in July 1808, after his father was killed in accident on a bridge in

Moville, County Donegal Moville (; ) is a coastal town located on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, Ireland, close to the northern tip of the island of Ireland. It is the first coastal town of the Wild Atlantic Way when starting on the northern end. Location ...

. Ferguson was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he graduated MA in 1817. He was colonel of the County Militia and

Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry This is a list of people to have been Lord Lieutenant of County Londonderry. There were lieutenants of counties in Ireland until the reign of James II, when they were renamed governors. The office of Lord Lieutenant was recreated on 23 August 18 ...

from 1840 to 1860. He lived at The Farm, County Londonderry. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Donegal The High Sheriff of Donegal was the British Crown's judicial representative in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, from the late 16th century until 1922, when the office was abolished in the new Irish Free State and replaced by the office of Doneg ...

in 1818 and

High Sheriff of Tyrone The High Sheriff of Tyrone is the Sovereign's judicial representative in County Tyrone. Initially an office for lifetime, assigned by the Sovereign, the High Sheriff became annually appointed from the Provisions of Oxford in 1258. Besides his ju ...

in 1825 and then elected as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for Londonderry City at the 1830 general election, but his election was declared void. A member of the United University club, he was re-elected at the resulting by-election held on 2 April 1831, and held the seat until his death in 1860, at the age of 63, when the baronetcy became extinct. In 1859 he voted in favour of the Derby ministry's reform bill. There is a statue of Ferguson in Brooke Park in his native Derry.

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* 1795 births 1860 deaths Whig (British political party) MPs for Irish constituencies Irish Liberal Party MPs Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Londonderry constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Lord-Lieutenants of County Londonderry High Sheriffs of Tyrone High Sheriffs of Donegal {{Liberal-UK-MP-stub