Robert Jackson Gamble (February 7, 1851September 22, 1924) was a U.S. Representative and Senator from
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
. He was the father of
Ralph Abernethy Gamble
Ralph Abernethy Gamble (May 6, 1885 – March 4, 1959) was a Republican politician who represented Westchester County, New York in the United States House of Representatives from 1937 to 1957. He was a member of the prominent Gamble family of Sou ...
and brother of
John Rankin Gamble, members of South Dakota's prominent
Gamble family.
Early life
Gamble was born in
Genesee County, near
Akron, New York
Akron is a village in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 2,868 at the 2010 census. The name derives from the Greek word ἄκρον signifying a summit or high point. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropol ...
, the son of Robert Gamble and Jennie (Abernethy) Gamble. In 1862, he moved with his parents to
Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Fox Lake is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,519 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Fox Lake.
History
Established in 1838, Fox Lake was the first settlement in Dodge County. The fi ...
. In 1874, he graduated from
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...
in
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh)
is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...
with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree, and he later received his
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
from Lawrence. While attending college, Gamble taught school in the summer to pay his tuition. After graduating, he
studied law with the
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
firm of Jenkins, Elliot & Wheeler, and 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 1875. He moved to
Yankton in the portion of the
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...
which later became
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
.
Start of career
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 ...
, he became a district attorney for the second judicial district of the
Territory of Dakota
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...
in 1880, and was Yankton's city attorney in 1881 and 1882. He served on the Territorial Council in 1885. In 1894 he was elected to Seat B, one of South Dakota's two at-large seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he served in the Fifty-fourth Congress. He ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 1896, but was again elected to Seat B in 1898, and served in the Fifty-sixth Congress. During the Fifty-sixth Congress, he became the chairman of the
U.S. House Committee on Expenditures on the Public Buildings
The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives.
The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...
.
U.S. Senator
In 1901, Gamble was elected to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. Re-elected in 1906, he served until March 1913, after being an unsuccessful candidate for renomination. During his senate career, he was chairman of the:
Committee on Indian Depredations (57th Congress);
Committee on Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (58th to 60th Congresses);
Committee on Indian Affairs
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...
(62nd Congress); and
Committee on Enrolled Bills
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
(64th Congress).
Later life
In 1915, Gamble moved to
Sioux Falls
Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up t ...
and resumed the practice of law. From 1916 to 1924 he served as a referee in
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
for the southern district of South Dakota. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of the
League to Enforce Peace
The League to Enforce Peace was a non-state American organization established in 1915 to promote the formation of an international body for world peace. It was formed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia by American citizens concerned by the outbr ...
.
Death and burial
Gamble died in Sioux Falls, and was buried at Yankton City Cemetery in Yankton.
Honors
In 1909,
Lawrence University
Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...
awarded Gamble the
honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
of
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 ...
Family
In 1884, Gamble married Carrie S. Osborne of
Portage, Wisconsin
Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. The city is part of the Madison, Wiscon ...
. They were the parents of two sons,
Ralph
Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf").
The most common forms ...
and George.
References
Sources
Books
*
*
*
External links
*
Gamble Familyat The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamble, Robert J.
Members of the Dakota Territorial Legislature
19th-century American politicians
South Dakota lawyers
People from Fox Lake, Wisconsin
Politicians from Sioux Falls, South Dakota
People from Genesee County, New York
Lawrence University alumni
District attorneys in South Dakota
1851 births
1924 deaths
Republican Party United States senators from South Dakota
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota
People from Akron, New York
19th-century American lawyers
Members of the United States House of Representatives from South Dakota