On This Day

01 April 1855

Death of Robert Wallace, Whig MP for Greenock 1832-45

Wallace’s father was a successful Glasgow merchant and owned extensive estates in the West Indies which Wallace inherited. Robert Wallace was a fiery orator and campaigner for parliamentary reform. He was the first MP for Greenock after the passing of the 1832 Reform Act and in parliament was a champion of the reform of property law. He was also prominent in postal service reform, playing a key role as chairman of the committee which examined and endorsed Rowland Hill’s penny postage scheme which was introduced in 1839.