Robert Ferguson was the eldest son of Jane Crauford, daughter of Ronald Craufurd of
Restalrig, (sister to
Margaret,
countess of Dumfries) and William Ferguson of Raith,
Fife. General Sir
Ronald Craufurd Ferguson was his brother. He was educated at the
High School in Edinburgh, 1777–1780. He was also privately tutored by
John Playfair. He then studied law at the
University of Edinburgh. He qualified as an advocate in 1791. He lived at Raith House near
Kirkcaldy. Robert Ferguson was elected to the Whig parliament of 1806 for Fifeshire, but was not afterwards elected until the time of the
Reform Bill, upon which he represented the
Kirkcaldy district of Burghs from 1831 to 1835, and in the latter year was returned for Haddingtonshire, defeating Mr Hope, the Tory candidate, by 268 to 231 votes. At the general election of 1837 he was in turn defeated by
Lord Ramsay, who polled 299 votes to 205. He then returned to the representation of the Kirkcaldy division of Burghs. He was a cordial supporter of the measures of the Whig government, and opposed to the ballot. Due to his amateur interests in
mineralogy, in 1805 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of London. In 1806 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was Lord Lieutenant of Fife from 1837. He died at a house in Portman Square in
London on 3 December 1840. ==Memorials==