Robert Austen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 in two periods between 1666 and 1696.

Austen was the son of Sir Robert Austen, 1st Baronet and his second wife. He was educated at Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 and was a colonel in the militia.

Austen was elected 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,...

 for Winchelsea

Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)

Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...

 in 4 October 1666 and held the seat until 1681. In 1668 he was deputy mayor of Winchelsea

Winchelsea

Winchelsea is a small village in East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately two miles south west of Rye and seven miles north east of Hastings...

 and speaker of the Cinque Ports

Cinque Ports

The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...

 at the Guestling

Guestling

Guestling is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located three miles north-east of Hastings on the A259 road to Rye. Its parish church is dedicated to St Laurence, and is part of the United Benefice of Fairlight, Guestling and Pett...

court.

Austen regained his seat at Winchelsea on 17 January 1689 and held it until his death aged 54 in 1696. He was Lord of the Admiralty and Commissioner for public accounts from 1691 and a Commissioner for Greenwich Hospital from 1695.

Austen married Judith Freke, daughter of Ralph Freke of Hannington Wiltshire in September 1669.