Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert was born on June 12, 1831, in Brighton, Sussex, England.

He was the 1st Premier of Queensland, Australia. He was educated at Eton College and Balliol College, Oxford (B.A., 1854; B.C.L., 1856; D.C.L., 1862). He was called to the Bar of the Inner Temple in April 1858. In 1859, Sir George Bowen, governor of the new colony of Queensland, chose Herbert as a private secretary, eventually becoming the Colonial Secretary of Queensland and the 1st and 3rd Premier of Queensland (10 December 1859 – 1 February 1866; 20 July 1866 – 7 August 1866). Afterward, Herbert returned to England and in 1870, he became an Assistant Under-Secretary for the Colonies. In 1871, he became Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, the position he held for 21 years with great distinction. In 1882, he was created K.C.B., and in 1892, G.C.B. In the same year, he was appointed chancellor of the Order of St. Michael and St. George. He left the colonial office in 1892 and in 1893-1896, he was Agent-General for Tasmania. He did active work in connection with the formation of the British Empire League. He became Chairman of the Tariff Commission in 1903.

He died on May 6, 1905, in Ickleton, Cambridgeshire, England.