Robert Milligan (1746–1809) was a prominent Scottish merchant, ship-owner and slave-factor, and was the driving force behind the construction of the West India Docks in London. The statue was commissioned by the West India Dock Company from the sculptor Richard Westmacott in May 1809, following Milligan's death.[4] Although the statue stood in its original location in front of the Museum of London Docklands, it was briefly relocated to the North Gate (1875–1943). The statue was held in storage before being re-erected at its original location on the West India Dock in February 1997 by the London Docklands Development Corporation.[5] On 9 June 2020, the statue was removed by the local authority to "recognise the wishes of the community", following the removal of Edward Colston's statue in Bristol by anti-racism protesters in response to the killing of George Floyd.[6][7] The statue was the first to be removed as part of Sadiq Khan's Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, being removed on the same day that he announced the commission.