Robert Gordon (philanthropist) the late twentieth century as The Robert Gordon University. Robert Gordon (philanthropist) Robert Gordon (1668–1731), a 17th-century merchant and philanthropist, was born in Aberdeen. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie. When Arthur Gordon, a well-respected advocate in the Edinburgh courts, died in 1680, he left his twelve-year-old son the sum of 20,000 merks (about £1,100 then and considerably more in modern currency). When Gordon reached the age of sixteen he became a Burgess of the City of Aberdeen. Among other benefits, this entitled him to follow a merchant's trade in the town.
Robert Gordon (academic) Robert Gordon (academic) Robert Samuel Clive Gordon, FBA (born 13 March 1966) is a scholar of Italian studies and an academic. Since 2012, he has been Serena Professor of Italian at the University of Cambridge. Born on 13 March 1966, Robert Samuel Clive Gordon completed his undergraduate studies at Pembroke College, Oxford. He joined St John's College, Cambridge, to complete a doctorate; his PhD was awarded in 1993 for his thesis "Pier Paolo Pasolini and the work of subjectivity". He was elected a lecturer and fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford, in 1990, and left in 1998 to become a lecturer