Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/147

 ROBINSON

ROBINSON

ette Staniford, widow of William Robinson, and had no children. He was the candidate for gov- ernor of the state for 1851 and 1852, and was elected in 1853, being the only Democratic gov- ernor of Vermont for over half a century. He subsequently declined the district judgeship of Vermont, and was chairman of the Vermont del- egation to the Democratic national convention of 1860. and died during its session at Charleston, S.C. April 25, 1860.

ROBINSON, Jonathan, senator, was born in Hardwick, Mass., Aug. 24, 1756; son of Samuel (1707-1767) and Mercy (Leonard) Robinson ; grand- son of Samuel Robinson and of Moses Leonard ; great-grandson of Samuel and Sarah (Manning) Robinson and of Moses Newton, and greats-grand- son of William and Elizabeth (Brigham) Robin- son. William Robinson, a kinsman of the Rev. John Robinson of Leyden and one of the early Cambridge colonists, died in 1693. Samuel the first, a soldier in the French war and in the American Revolution, in which his sons also par- ticipated, founded the settlement at Bennington, Vt., in 1761. Jonathan Robinson was admitted to the bar in 1796, and practised in Bennington, Vt., where he was married to Mary, daughter of John Fassett. He was town clerk, 1795-1801 ; a representative in the state legislature, 1789-1802 ; judge of the probate court of Vermont, 1795-98, 1800-01 and 1815-19 ; chief justice of the supreme court of Vermont, 1801-07, and was elected to the U.S. senate in 1807 to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Israel Smith (q.v.), com- pleting the term, March 3, 1809, and was re-elected in 1809 for the full term expiring March 3, 1815. While in the senate he was a trusted adviser of President Madison, He was judge of probate four years, and a representative in the state legislature in 1818. The honorary degree of A.B. was conferred on him by Dartmouth in 1790, and that of A.M. by the same institution, 1803. He died in Bennington, Vt., Nov. 3, 1819.

ROBINSON, Lewis Wood, naval officer, was born in Camden county, N.J., March 7, 1840 ; son of William and Anna (Wood) Robinson. He was graduated from the Polytechnic College of Penn- sylvania in 1861, and in 1864 became a master of mechanical engineering. He entered the U.S. navy, Sept. 21, 1861, as 3d assistant engineer ; took part at the capture of Forts Jackson and St. Philip and at the fall of New Orleans in April, 1862, and at the attack on Vicksburg bj^ Farragut, June, 1862, and July 30, 1863, was promoted 2d assistant engineer. He was married. Sept. 5. 1865, to Mary De A. Rupp of Philadelphia. On Oct. 11, 1866, he was promoted first assistant engineer with rank of lieutenant, and in 1874 the title was changed to past assistant engineer. He was gen- eral superintendent of the bureau of machinery

at the Centennial Exposition in 1876. On Aug, 19, 1883, he was promoted chief engineer with the rank of lieutenant commander, and was chief of the department of machinery at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893, In 1894 he served on the U.S. cruiser Atlanta and the flagship Neivark. He was promoted commander, March 21, 1895 ; was assigned to tlie battleship Indiana, Aug. 13, 1896, and in 1897 was transferred to the navy yard at Philadelphia. He was promoted captain, June 6, 1898, and assigned to inspection and recruiting duty ; was commissioned captain in the line, March 3, 1900 ; was made inspector of machinery, Feb. 21, 1900, and retired with the rank of rear admiral, Sept. 21, 1901. He was a member of the American Society of Naval Engi- neers and the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 16, 1903.

ROBINSON, Lucius, governor of New York, was born in W^indham, Greene county, N.Y., Nov. 4, 1810 ; son of Eli P. and Mary Robinson ; grandson of Reuben Robinson, and a descendant of John Robinson (1576-1625), the well-known Pilgrim leader of England. He attended the common schools and the Delaware academy, Delhi, N.Y.; was admitted to the bar, 1832, and began practice in Catskill, N.Y. He was mar- ried, Oct. 24, 1833. to Eunice, daughter of Bennet Osborn. He was district attorney of Greene county, 1837-40 ; practised in New York city, 1840-55, and served as master of chancery, New York city, 1843-47. He was subsequently de- feated as the Democratic candidate for judge of the superior court ; joined the newly organized Republican party in 1856 ; removed to Elmira, N.Y., 1855, and was an Independent Republican member of the state assembly, 1859-60. He was defeated as candidate for speaker, 1860 ; was comptroller of the state, 1862-65, and was defeated in 1865, being the Demo- cratic candidate for re-elec- tion, having returned to that party at the close of the war. He was also defeated as a Democratic candidate for representative in the 42d congress in 1870. He was elected comptroller in 1875, resigning in 1876 upon being elected governor of New York, Nov. 7, 1876, and serving as governor, 1877-79. He died in Elmira, N.Y., March 23, 1891.

ROBINSON, Moses, governor of Vermont, was born in Hardwick, Mass., March 26, 174] ; son of Samuel and Mercy (Leonard) Robinson, and brother of Jonathan Robinson (q.v.). He attended Dartmouth college, and removed with his father to Bennington. Vt., in 1761, where he served as town clerk, 1762-71, He was commis-