Hugh Robertson’s family came to the United States when he was an infant, around 1890, settling in Chicago. He attended business college and found work financing the purchase of cars, but developed an interest in radio, and building crystal sets in oatmeal boxes. In 1924, he walked into a small Chicago radio manufacturing plant and asked for employment.

This would be his last job interview, as Robertson went on to work for Zenith Radio Corporation for nearly 50 years, as office manager, treasurer, and later CEO and Chairman. His conservative fiscal management complemented the style of charismatic company founder Eugene F. McDonald.

Hugh Robertson and his wife Mabel lived in Lake Forest starting in the mid-1960s. He is buried at Lake Forest Cemetery.