Robert William Hay
# Robert William Hay

Robert William Hay (1786–1861) was a British public official.

## Biography

### Early life

Robert William Hay was born in 1786 in Westminster, London, England. His father was Reverend George William Auriol Hay-Drummond and his mother Elizabeth Margaret (Marshall) Hay-Drummond. His paternal grandfather was Robert Hay Drummond (1711–1776), who served as the Archbishop of York from 1761 to 1776.

He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1807 and a Master of Arts degree in 1809.

### Career

From 1812 to 1824, he served as Private Secretary to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742–1811), who was First Lord of the Admiralty, and then served as Victualling Commissioner in the British Royal Navy.

He served as the Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for the Colonies from 1825 to 1836. However, James Stephen (1789–1859) is credited with doing much of the work.

In 1831, Hay was appointed to serve on the Government Commission upon Emigration, which was wound up in 1832.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1814.

### Death

He died on 9 May 1861 in Malta.

## Legacy

* Hay Street, a major road in the central business district of Perth, Western Australia, is named in his honour.
