Robert Dalglish
Encyclopedia
Robert Dalglish was a Scottish
Radical
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
MP for Glasgow
from 1857 to 1874.
Dalglish was born in Glasgow, the son of Robert Dalglish (1770–1844) the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1830 to 1832 and brother of Andrew Stevenson Dalglish (1793–1858). He was educated at Glasgow University and became the head of the family calico printing firm of Dalglish, Falconer & Son founded in Lennoxtown by his father.
He was Independent Radical M.P. for Glasgow from 1857 to 1874 speaking in favour of extending of the franchise, voting by ballot and a more equal distribution of electoral districts.. He was a popular and respected MP. "Vanity Fair" in 1873 said "Popularity is commonly but a poor test of merit, yet in Parliament it has a distinct value and meaning, so that Mr. Dalglish may well be proud of being known for the most popular Member of the House of Commons. He has in truth all the qualities which command consideration among a body of ordinary sensible men. He possesses the charity that is not puffed up, he is an easy-going, good-natured man, he is fond of the fair sex, he gives good dinners, and yet at the same time he has a sound judgment and discretion, often appealed to by men whose names are far more frequently before the public. He is one of those valuable and too rare Members who are useful in Committee, and seldom speak at all, and never without saying something to the point at issue and worthy of being ranged among the arguments concerning it."
He was a great admirer of the Duke of Wellington
and was heavily involved in the erection of Marochetti's statue of the "Iron Duke" in front of the Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. Dalglish himself is commemorated by a bas-relief on Queen Victoria's statue in George Square.
He owned and resided at Kilmardinny
House in Bearsden from 1853, making substantial improvements to the property to the designs of architect James Smith.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Radical
Radicals (UK)
The Radicals were a parliamentary political grouping in the United Kingdom in the early to mid 19th century, who drew on earlier ideas of radicalism and helped to transform the Whigs into the Liberal Party.-Background:...
politician. He was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
MP for Glasgow
Glasgow (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow was a burgh constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It returned two Member of Parliament until 1868, and then three from 1868 to 1885...
from 1857 to 1874.
Dalglish was born in Glasgow, the son of Robert Dalglish (1770–1844) the Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1830 to 1832 and brother of Andrew Stevenson Dalglish (1793–1858). He was educated at Glasgow University and became the head of the family calico printing firm of Dalglish, Falconer & Son founded in Lennoxtown by his father.
He was Independent Radical M.P. for Glasgow from 1857 to 1874 speaking in favour of extending of the franchise, voting by ballot and a more equal distribution of electoral districts.. He was a popular and respected MP. "Vanity Fair" in 1873 said "Popularity is commonly but a poor test of merit, yet in Parliament it has a distinct value and meaning, so that Mr. Dalglish may well be proud of being known for the most popular Member of the House of Commons. He has in truth all the qualities which command consideration among a body of ordinary sensible men. He possesses the charity that is not puffed up, he is an easy-going, good-natured man, he is fond of the fair sex, he gives good dinners, and yet at the same time he has a sound judgment and discretion, often appealed to by men whose names are far more frequently before the public. He is one of those valuable and too rare Members who are useful in Committee, and seldom speak at all, and never without saying something to the point at issue and worthy of being ranged among the arguments concerning it."
He was a great admirer of the Duke of Wellington
Duke of Wellington
The Dukedom of Wellington, derived from Wellington in Somerset, is a hereditary title in the senior rank of the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first holder of the title was Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , the noted Irish-born career British Army officer and statesman, and...
and was heavily involved in the erection of Marochetti's statue of the "Iron Duke" in front of the Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow. Dalglish himself is commemorated by a bas-relief on Queen Victoria's statue in George Square.
He owned and resided at Kilmardinny
Kilmardinny
Kilmardinny is a loch in Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The loch is renowned for coarse fishing and its abundance of perch and roach. Situated nearby is Kilmardinny House, which after being owned by a succession of Glaswegian merchants and the Glasgow MP Robert Dalglish was donated to the...
House in Bearsden from 1853, making substantial improvements to the property to the designs of architect James Smith.