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

Robert William Hay was born in 1786 in Westminster, London, England.

[1] His paternal grandfather was Robert Hay Drummond (1711–1776), who served as the Archbishop of York from 1761 to 1776.

[1] 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.

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