Cornelius Robinson (September 25, 1805 – July 29, 1867) was a politician from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

who served in the

Provisional Confederate Congress The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States, also known as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America, was a congress of deputies and delegates called together from the Southern States which became the governing body ...

at the beginning of the American Civil War. Robinson was born in

Wadesboro, North Carolina Wadesboro is a town in Anson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,049 at the 2020 census. The town was originally found in 1783 as New Town but changed by the North Carolina General Assembly to Wadesboro in 1787 to honor Co ...

. He was the sixth of eight children of Tod and Martha Ann (Terry) Robinson of

Anson County Anson County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,055. Its county seat is Wadesboro. History The county was formed in 1750 from Bladen County. It was named for George Anson, Ba ...

. He later moved to Alabama, and in 1836 was the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of a company of

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

. Following the resignation of Alabama delegate

John Gill Shorter John Gill Shorter (April 23, 1818 – May 29, 1872) was an American politician who served as the 17th Governor of Alabama from 1861 to 1863. Prior to assuming the governorship, Shorter was a Deputy from Alabama to the Provisional Congress of th ...

in November 1861, Robinson was elected to fill the vacancy. He took his seat on April 29, 1861. He subsequently resigned from the Congress on January 24, 1862. His son Cornelius Robinson, Jr. served as an officer in the 46th Alabama Infantry during the war. Robinson died on his plantation near

Benton, Alabama Benton is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 41 at the 2020 census, down from 49 at the 2010 census. Geography Benton is located at (32.306248, -86.817551). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a ...

, and was buried there at Mt. Gilead Cemetery.The Political Graveyard
/ref> His great-niece,

Ednah Robinson Aiken Ednah Robinson Aiken (September 7, 1872 – 1960) was an American writer, editor, clubwoman, and playwright, based in the San Francisco Bay area. Early life and education Ednah P. Robinson was born in San Francisco, California. Her parents were C ...

(1872-1960), was a San Francisco-based novelist and clubwoman.

References

* Beers, Henry Putney, ''The Confederacy: A Guide to the Archives of the Government of the Confederate States of America.'' Washington, D.C.: United States National Archives and Records Administration, 1986. * Current, Richard N., ''Encyclopedia of the Confederacy''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. . * ''Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865''. Washington, D.C.: United States War Department, Government Printing Office, 1905.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Cornelius 1805 births 1867 deaths People from Wadesboro, North Carolina Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States 19th-century American politicians Alabama lawyers People of Alabama in the American Civil War People from Benton, Alabama 19th-century American lawyers