McManus 168

Robert Mackenzie was born in 1823 to William Mackenzie, schoolmaster of Barrie (now Barry, Angus) and Margaret Millar.^[1]

William Mackenzie, Robert’s father, had taught at a school in Lochee, before being appointed schoolmaster to the parish of Barry by the time he was 22 years of age.^[13] At the time of the Disruption, William Mackenzie adhered to the seceding church and, in 1844, was summoned before the Established Presbytery of Arbroath and deposed from office.^[13] Immediately after his deposition, he became Free Church schoolmaster of Barry.^[13] However, William left that post within a year, moving to Dundee where he obtained a post as book-keeper in the office of the  ‘Northern Warder.’^[13] He was listed as having been employed there in the Dundee Directory of 1846-47.^[4]

The older brother of Robert Mackenzie became the Reverend James Mackenzie, the second appointed minister of the Free Abbey Church in Dunfermline. The Free Abbey Church was completed and opened for public worship in January of 1844. It was built on the site occupied by the ‘Auld Licht Church.’ ^[26]He was the author of the ‘History of Scotland,’ a publication ‘which was wont to be widely read in Scottish Schools.’^[26] James predeceased his brother Robert, his death arriving in 1869.^[26]

Robert Mackenzie himself received his early education in the school at which his father was headmaster.^[18] He completed his schooling in St Andrews.^[18] It was reported that he then entered the office of Baxter Brothers.^[18]

The Dundee Directory of 1846-47 listed him as having been employed in the office of the ‘Northern Warder,’ at the same time as his father.^[4]

Robert Mackenzie’s first business partnership began in November of 1849 together with James Ramsay Jnr to form the firm of ‘Mackenzie, Ramsay & Co,’ as commission merchants and exporters.^[21] Prior to that, it was said that Robert Mackenzie had undertaken a previous trade on his own account as a commission and export business; ‘I exported goods both on my own account and on account of others.’^[21] After the bankruptcy of ‘Mackenzie, Ramsay & Co’ in 1857, he went on to establish a further business, once again trading on his own account.^[17] He was one of the most active and successful agents of the Westinghouse Brake Company and one of the final acts of his life was to complete a contract between his company and the Directors of the Caledonian Railway.^[18] His listing as a merchant continued until the year of his death in 1881.^[22]

By marrying his first wife, Elizabeth Scott in 1855,^[2] Robert Mackenzie established connections with well-known Dundee families. Elizabeth was the daughter of John Home Scott, a writer, in partnership with his brother in law, David Jobson. Her mother was Mary Jobson. Janet Home Scott, her sister, married William Edward Baxter,^[27] thereby opening many doors in social and commercial circles, while sister, Alice married William Grant Pringle Henry ^[28] of ‘Henry, Corrie & Co.’ Elizabeth was also related to Captain and Mrs Scott who lived at 160 Nethergate. Her brother, Patrick Scott, the youngest of the family and who lived with their mother, was a beneficiary from the estate of Mrs Captain Scott and then resided in her former home at 160 Nethergate, together with his mother. Further connections were made with the marriage of his nephew, William Mackenzie, son of his brother James, to Elizabeth Traill,^[29] daughter of Anthony Trail. His nephew went on to become the secretary and, afterwards, manager of the Alliance Trust in Dundee.^[30] He was also a President of the Chamber of Commerce in 1910.^[30]

It was reported that;

‘Robert Mackenzie was known far beyond Dundee, in consequence of his frequent visits to the United States, where he repeatedly had interviews with many of the leading statesmen, generals and other public men. His sympathies during the Civil War were all on the side of the North and his first publication of note was entitled ‘America and her Army,’ giving a very interesting account of the Volunteer operations during the Civil War and of the general action the North in dealing with the freed men at the conclusion of the war.’^[15]

He was described as having been a man of;

‘great intelligence and varied culture. From his youth he was a keen student of of politics and literature and there can be no doubt that if he had devoted himself to literary work he would havee reached a high place among the leading writers of the time. Even as it was, he earned no mean rank as an author. His ‘History of the United States’ and his ‘History of the Nineteenth Century’ are books that have a reputation among minor histories.’^[18]

In social life, he had been a most interesting companion – full of strange facts and fancies; and as genial as he was interesting.^[18] Described as a brilliant conversationalist, his readiness in repartee and his powers of great irony and sarcasm being surpassed by few^[15] – an interesting fellow.