Robert Henry Hankinson was an Australian politician.

Born in Edenhope

Edenhope, Victoria

Edenhope is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Wimmera Highway, 30 kilometres from the South Australian border, in the Shire of West Wimmera local government area...

 in Victoria to farmer Robert Hankinson and Alice Davies, he left school when he was thirteen to become a hotel yardsman. In 1898 he moved from Yarram

Yarram, Victoria

Yarram , is an isolated town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Wellington, located in the southeast of Gippsland. The term 'Yarraam Yarraam' is thought to be an aboriginal phrase meaning 'plenty of water,' however it is not known which language group the name is taken from...

 to the Riverina

Riverina

The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...

, becoming a shop assistant and ultimately acquiring a store at Grong Grong. On 16 October 1901 he married Beatrice Mary Klimpsoch, with whom he had two daughters. He was an alderman at Narrandera

Narrandera, New South Wales

-Transport:Narrandera is well served for transport. The Sturt Highway and the Newell Highways cross, just south of Narrandera. Greyhound buses pass daily - note that the destination can be listed as Jillenbah....

 (1911, 1919–24, 1925–30, 1947–53) and served several periods as mayor (1920–21, 1923–24, 1925–26, 1927–30, 1950–51). He also acquired farming lands near Ardlethan

Ardlethan, New South Wales

Ardlethan is a small service town located in the Coolamon Shire in New South Wales, Australia. Ardlethan is located at the intersection of the Burley Griffin Way and Newell Highway...

, Narrandera and Eurolie. In 1932 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly

New South Wales Legislative Assembly

The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...

 as the Country Party member for Murrumbidgee

Electoral district of Murrumbidgee

Murrumbidgee is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, named after the Murrumbidgee River. It is represented by Adrian Piccoli of the National Party of Australia....

, serving until 1941. Hankinson died at Narrandera in 1953.