Esslemont was born in Balnakettle, Udny,
Aberdeenshire the son of Peter Esslemont, a farmer, and his wife Ann Connon. He was educated at Public School, Belhelvie. He became head of Esslemont and Macintosh, warehousemen, of Aberdeen and a director of the Scottish Employers Liability Co. He was President of the Chamber of Commerce, a
J.P. for Aberdeenshire and author of ''Scheme for Improvement of Robert Gordon's Hospital''.From 1880 until 1883, he was the
Lord Provost of
Aberdeen In 1884, he was a guest at
Haddo House for a dinner hosted by
John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair in honour of
William Ewart Gladstone on his tour of Scotland. Esslemont was first elected as the
Liberal Member of Parliament for
East Aberdeenshire at the
1885 general election. He remained an MP there until he resigned in late 1892 to take up the post of Chairman of the
Fishery Board for Scotland. He lived his final years at 34 Albyn Place in Aberdeen. He died in Aberdeen in 1894 aged 60 and is buried at the
Nellfield Cemetery. ==Family==