Sara Tappan Doolittle Robinson (née Lawrence) (July 12, 1827 – November 15, 1912) was a US writer and historian. She served as the inaugural First Lady of Kansas, 1861–1863, being the second wife of

Charles L. Robinson Charles Lawrence Robinson (July 21, 1818 – August 17, 1894) was an American politician who served in the California State Assembly from 1851-52, and later as the first Governor of Kansas from 1861 until 1863. He was also the first governor of ...

(1818–1894), the first

Governor of Kansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

. Robinson is most notable for her book, ''Kansas : its interior and exterior life ; including a full view of its settlement, political history, social life, climate soil, productions, scenery, etc.'' (1856) during which time, her house was plundered and burned. The book was considered "epoch making" for its time.

Biography

She was born in

Belchertown, Massachusetts Belchertown (previously known as Cold Spring and Belcher's Town) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,350 at the 2020 census ...

. She was the eldest daughter of Myron and Clarissa (Dwight) Lawrence. The distinguished people of the times visited the family home. Among the most noted were

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, Robert Rantoul,

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and W. B. Calhoun. Sara Tappan Doolittle Robinson

She attended school in Belchertown and also studied at the

New Salem Academy New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. While attending school, she fell and injured her spine, which led to sympathetic blindness. Dr. Robinson (later Governor) was practicing medicine in Belchertown, where he was introduced to Miss Lawrence. Under his care, she regained her health. They married on October 30, 1851. Robinson was a member of the Betty Washington Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

(D.A.R.). She founded a research table in the

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for young women. She gave the first donation toward marking the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, th ...

. The Robinsons did not have any children. She had been with the

Sunflower State The common sunflower (''Helianthus annuus'') is a large annual forb of the genus ''Helianthus'' grown as a crop for its edible oily seeds. Apart from cooking oil production, it is also used as livestock forage (as a meal or a silage plant), as ...

from its inception, and died in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

at the couple's "Oakridge" home in 1911. Their estate, valued at $200,000, was bequeathed to the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. The couple's private papers, 1834–1911, are part of the holdings of the Kansas State Historical Society.Robinson, C., Robinson, S. T. L., In Snell, J. W., In Schenck, E. L., Hawley, G. T., Kansas State Historical Society., & United States. (1967). ''The private papers of Charles and Sara T.D. Robinson, 1834-1911, in the holdings of the Kansas State Historical Society''. Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society.

Selected publications

''Kansas; its interior and exterior life. Including a full view of its settlement, political history, social life, climate, soil, productions, scenery, etc.''
(1856) * ''Personal recollections of Mrs. Sara T.D. Robinson of the Quantrell Raid of Aug. 21, 1863.'' (between 1863 and 1911)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Sara Tappan Doolittle 1827 births 1912 deaths People from Belchertown, Massachusetts Historians of Kansas People from Lawrence, Kansas First Ladies and Gentlemen of Kansas Victorian women writers Victorian writers American women historians 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American writers Historians from Massachusetts