Robert Morris Washburn (1868–1946) was an American politician and writer who served in the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

and wrote a newspaper column and a number of biographies on Massachusetts politicians, including

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...

Early life

Washburn was born on January 4, 1868, in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, to Charles F. and Mary E. (Whiton) Washburn. He was the one of seven children. His older brother, Charles G. Washburn, was a member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Another brother, Reginald, was chairman of the Worcester Liquor Commission. He graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1890 and attended

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

. He studied law in Worcester offices and was admitted to the bar in 1892. Washburn owned the Princeton Bantam Yards, a poultry farm in

Princeton, Massachusetts Princeton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is bordered on the east by Sterling and Leominster, on the north by Westminster, on the northwest by Hubbardston, on the southwest by Rutland, and on the southeast by Ho ...

, where he bred prize-winning Red Pyle Game Bantam hens.

Political career

State legislature

In 1907, Washburn was elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. He was described as an "insurgent" and had no problem opposing the state Republican machine. He served as chairman of the committee on railroad and was a vocal opponent of the proposed merger of the

Boston & Maine The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B ...

and New York, New Haven, & Hartford railroads. In 1912 he was a candidate for Speaker of the House, but lost to Grafton D. Cushing. In 1915, Washburn was elected to the state senate. He resigned early into his only term in the Senate due to ill health. Following his departure from the legislature, Washburn went to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to recover. While there he met Martha Ross Clark and the two married in 1916.

Presidential campaigns

Washburn supported

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

for the Republican presidential nomination in 1912 and 1916. In 1922 Washburn helped establish the Roosevelt Club of Massachusetts and served as its president for many years. Following Roosevelt's death, Washburn supported

William Borah William Edgar Borah (June 29, 1865 – January 19, 1940) was an outspoken History of the United States Republican Party, Republican United States Senator, one of the best-known figures in History of Idaho, Idaho's history. A Progressivism ...

Statewide campaigns

In 1920, Washburn ran as an independent candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts The lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts. The constitutional honorific title for the office is His ...

. He finished in third place with 14% of the vote to Republican

Alvan T. Fuller Alvan Tufts Fuller (February 27, 1878 – April 30, 1958) was an American businessman, politician, art collector, and philanthropist from Massachusetts. He opened one of the first automobile dealerships in Massachusetts, which in 1920 was recogniz ...

's 54% and Democrat

Marcus A. Coolidge Marcus Allen Coolidge (October 6, 1865January 23, 1947) was a Democratic United States Senator representing Massachusetts from March 4, 1931, to January 3, 1937. Biography Coolidge was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, son of Frederick Spau ...

's 29%. In 1928, Washburn was a candidate for 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 ...

seat held by David I. Walsh. However he dropped out of the race on July 25 so that he could "take the stump" for fellow candidate

Butler Ames Butler Ames (August 22, 1871 – November 6, 1954) was an American politician, engineer, soldier and businessman. He was the son of Adelbert Ames and grandson of Benjamin Butler (politician), Benjamin Franklin Butler, both decorated generals in ...

. Ames lost the Republican nomination to

Benjamin Loring Young Benjamin Loring Young (November 7, 1885 – June 4, 1964) of Weston, Massachusetts was a US lawyer and politician who served as the Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1921 to 1924. Born in Weston in 1885, Young graduated ...

. With no other Republicans challenging Walsh in 1934, Washburn entered the race. Walsh defeated Washburn 59% to 37%.

Author

For many years, Washburn penned "Washburn's Weekly", a column in the ''

Boston Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. Beginnings ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James Wentworth of the firm of D ...

''. He also wrote a number of biographies on political figures, including

William M. Butler William Morgan Butler (January 29, 1861March 29, 1937) was a lawyer and legislator for the State of Massachusetts, and a United States Senator. Biography Butler was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he attended the public school and stud ...

. In 1923 he published "Calvin Coolidge: His First Biography", a 150-page character sketch of President Calvin Coolidge.

Death

Washburn died on February 26, 1946, at his home in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He was buried in Worcester's

Rural Cemetery A rural cemetery or garden cemetery is a style of cemetery that became popular in the United States and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century due to the overcrowding and health concerns of urban cemeteries. They were typically built one to five ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washburn, Robert M. 1868 births 1946 deaths 20th-century American biographers American columnists Farmers from Massachusetts Harvard College alumni Massachusetts lawyers Republican Party Massachusetts state senators Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Boston Politicians from Worcester, Massachusetts