Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom
Born in Edinburgh, the fourth and youngest son of Sir John Wedderburn, 2nd Baronet and Henrietta Louise Milburn, he was educated at Hofwyl Workshop, then Loretto School and finally at Edinburgh University. He joined the Indian Civil Service as his father and an older brother had done.
University of Edinburgh.
He attempted to bring about reforms in banking to solve the problems of peasants during his working career. Failing to find support in reforms, he retired to help found the Indian National Congress and support local self-government. He entered the Indian Civil Service in Bombay in 1860, served as District Judge and Judicial Commissioner in Sindicato
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.
During his work he noted the troubles of peasantry arising from moneylending and he suggested that co-operative agricultural banks be established to provide credits at reasonable rates. The proposal was supported in India but was blocked by the India Office in India.
Wedderburn supported reforms suggested by Lord Ripon to develop local self-government and equality to Indian judges.
He was seen as supporting the aspirations of Indians and was denied a judge position in the Bombay high court. This led him to retire early in 1887. He worked along with influential Congress leaders in Bombay and in 1890 he chaired the British committee of the Indian National Congress, helped publish the journal India and attempted to support the movement through parliamentary action in Britain.
He developed a close working relationship with G. K. Gokhale of the Congress.
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 wrote a biographical memoir of A. O. Hume who died in 1912.
A daughter, Dorothy, was born in Poona in 1879 and in 1884 they had a second daughter in London, Margaret Griselda. He died at his home in Meredith, Gloucestershire on 25 January 1918.
Liberal Party, Indian National Congress.
25th United Kingdom Parliament. 26th United Kingdom Parliament]
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.
