Sir Robert John Buxton, 1st Baronet (27 October 1753 – 7 June 1839) was a politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1790 and 1806.

Buxton was born at Rushford, Norfolk

Rushford, Norfolk

Rushford is a small village in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the north bank of the River Little Ouse, east of the town of Thetford and south of the main A1066 road. The river forms the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk and, until 1894, Rushford was in both counties...

, the son of John Buxton and his wife Elizabeth Jacob and grandson of John Buxton who designed and built Shadwell Lodge at Rushford. The Norfolk Buxtons are thought to have taken their name from the Norfolk village of that name and to have descended from Robert Buxton MP (1533-1607) an attorney in the service of Thomas Duke of Norfolk

Duke of Norfolk

The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...

. His father was an ill-tempered character during his last years, which made the relationship between father and son increasingly difficult. Buxton was expelled from Shadwell and his father severely cut his income after he married without his father's consent. They were reconciled by 1779, three years before his father's death.

Buxton 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,...

 (MP) for Thetford

Thetford (UK Parliament constituency)

Thetford was a constituency of the British House of Commons. It elected two Members of Parliament by the bloc vote system of election until it was disenfranchised in 1868...

 in 1790 and held the seat until 1796. In 1797 he was elected MP for Great Bedwyn

Great Bedwyn (UK Parliament constituency)

Great Bedwyn was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295–1640:-1640–1832:Notes...

 and held the seat until 1806. He was a loyal supporter of William Pitt

William Pitt the Younger

William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...

. He campaigned openly for the abolition of slavery throughout his political career, and on several occasions advocated prison reform. In 1802, he supported Sir Robert Peel's proposals to regulate child labour. On behalf of the landed interest, he opposed measures such as the regulation of labourers' wages or the sale of corn in the public market. He was a fervent patriot and supported the government's war effort where possible. He backed the increase of the militia and the Additional Force Act of 1804. He was created 1st Baronet Buxton, of Shadwell Lodge, co. Norfolk [Great Britain] on 25 November 1800.

Buxton died at age 85 at Shadwell Lodge, Norfolk.

He married Juliana Mary Beevor, daughter of Sir Thomas Beevor, 1st Bt. and Elizabeth Branthwaite, on 22 May 1777 at St. George's Church, St. George Street, Hanover Square, London. His son John

Sir John Buxton, 2nd Baronet

Sir John Jacob Buxton, 2nd Baronet was a politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1818 to 1832.Buxton was the eldest son of Sir Robert Buxton, 1st Baronet and his wife Juliana Mary Beevor. He was educated at Harrow School and at Christ Church, Oxford...

succeeded to the baronetcy.