William Wedderburn

For the New Brunswick judge and politician, see William Wedderburn (Canadian politician).

Sir William Wedderburn, 4th Baronet, JP DL (25 March 1838 – 25 January 1918) was a Scottish civil servant and politician.

Born in Edinburgh, the fourth son of Sir John Wedderburn, 2nd Baronet, he was educated at Hofwyl Workshop, then Loretto School and finally at Edinburgh University.

He entered the Indian Civil Service in Bombay in 1860, served as District Judge and Judicial Commissioner in Sind; acted as secretary to Bombay Government, Judicial and Political Departments; and from 1885 acted as Judge of the High Court, Bombay. He retired when acting Chief Secretary to the Government of Bombay in 1887. Along with Allan Octavian Hume he was a founder of the Indian National Congress and served as its president in 1889 and 1910.

He was an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate in North Ayrshire in 1892 and served as Liberal Member of Parliament for Banffshire from 1893 to 1900.

He was a member of the Royal Commission on Indian Expenditure in 1895 and chairman of Indian Parliamentary Committee. He was considered a great friend of the Indian Progressive Movement and presided at the Indian National Congress, 1889, later Chairman, British Committee of the Indian National Congress.

He succeeded his brother, Sir David, to the baronetcy in 1882. He married Mary Blanche Hoskyns, daughter of Henry William Hoskyns, in 1878.

Publications

• Papers and Schemes on Arbitration Courts, Agricultural Banks, Village Panchayets and subjects relating to the condition of the Indian people
• Memoir of A. O. Hume, C.B. '

Sources

• Leigh Rayment's List of Baronets (under Ogilvy-Wedderburn for the Baronetcy)

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir William Wedderburn
• Bio details on Congress Sandesh website accessed at [1] July 26, 2006

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Robert Duff	Member of Parliament for Banffshire 1893–1918	Succeeded by Alexander William Black
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by David Wedderburn	Baronet of Balindean, Perthshire 1882–1900	Succeeded by John Ogilvy-Wedderburn