James Wallace Robinson (November 26, 1826 – June 28, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1873 to 1875.

Life and career

Born in the township of Darby, near

Unionville Center, Ohio Unionville Center is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Union County, Ohio, Union County, Ohio, in the United States. The population was 233 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The village is home to the Charles W. Fairbanks Fe ...

, Robinson attended the common schools and Marysville Academy. He was graduated from Jefferson College,

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

, in 1848. He studied law first with

Otway Curry Otway Curry (March 26, 1804 – February 15, 1855) was a journalist, poet and legislator in the U.S. State of Ohio. Biography Otway Curry was born in Greenfield, Highland County, Ohio. At age 7, in 1811, his family moved to Pleasant Vall ...

, and graduated from

Cincinnati Law School The University of Cincinnati College of Law was founded in 1833 as the Cincinnati Law School. It is the fourth oldest continuously running law school in the United States — after Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Yale — and the first in ...

in 1851. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in the latter year and commenced practice in

London, Ohio London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 10,279 at the 2020 census. ...

, partnering with Curry. He served as prosecuting attorney of Union County for two terms, elected as a Whig. He moved to

Marysville, Ohio Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States, approximately 27 miles (44 km) northwest of Columbus. The population was 22,094 at the 2010 census, a 38.59% increase from 2000. Marysville's longtime slog ...

, in 1855. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1860–1862, and in 1864 was elected to fill an unexpired term.

Congress

Robinson was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress. He resumed the practice of his profession.

Death

He died in

, June 28, 1898. He was interred in Oakdale Cemetery.

Private life

Robinson was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, and an elder in the church beginning in 1855. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the

College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

, which conferred a

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

on him in 1896. He was married to Mary J. Cassil of Marysville, and had two children and died in 1894. In 1896 he married Mary E. Kent of

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...

. His nephew,

James E. Robinson James Edgar Robinson (15 August 1868, near Marysville, Ohio – 27 January 1932) was an American lawyer who served as an List of justices of the Ohio Supreme Court, Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court from 1919 to 1932. He was the ma ...

, was an associate justice of the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Ohio Supreme Court, Officially known as The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a ...

and a maternal great-grandfather of U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. Thus, James Wallace Robinson is a great-great-granduncle of a

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, James Wallace 1826 births 1898 deaths People from Union County, Ohio Members of the Ohio House of Representatives Washington & Jefferson College alumni University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni County district attorneys in Ohio Ohio lawyers Ohio Whigs 19th-century American politicians Burials in Ohio People from Marysville, Ohio 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio