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).