Politician and lawyer. The third son of the noted General Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734 - 1801), Abercromby began as a barrister in London in 1801. He was later appointed Judge Advocate-General and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Scotland (1830). He became Member of Parliament for Edinburgh (1832), cabinet minister in Earl Grey's administration (1834) and then, following a highly-charged election, became Speaker of the House of Commons (1835). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1831 and created Lord Dunfermline in 1839.
