William George "Bill" Robinson was an American politician who served in 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 ...

Early life

Robinson was born on March 10, 1926, 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 ...

to George and Muriel (Bumstead) Robinson. He grew up in Boston and Malden. Robinson owned Middlesex Furnace Co. in Malden for 12 years and later owned Robinson Real Estate Co. As well as a Hardware store, and two Laundromats in Malden and Melrose. He later moved to Melrose, where he resided for 48 years.

Political career

From 1965 to 1987, Robinson was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was the Assistant Minority Whip from 1971 to 1973,(Republican) Minority Whip from 1973 to 1977, Assistant Minority Leader from 1977 to 1979, and Minority Leader from 1979 to 1987. During his tenure in the House, Robinson was a leader in getting the state's Lemon Law (first in the nation)and also the contract cancelation law whereby a person may cancel any contract with a value in excess of $500.00 within 72 hours of signing such contract, he also passed the Measles Vaccine Law for Children, and initiated and helped pass the requirement for sprinkler systems to be installed in all buildings (new construction) with more than 2 stories, and also in buildings where significant restoration or remodeling occurs. In 1982, Robinson was a candidate for

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachusetts ...

. He dropped out of the race after he lost at the Republican convention. Robinson instead chose to run for-election in the House. In 1986 he ran for Massachusetts State Auditor. He defeated

Andrew Natsios Andrew S. Natsios (born September 22, 1949) is an American public servant and Republican politician from Massachusetts, who served in a number of positions in the administrations of Governor Paul Cellucci and President of the United States Georg ...

in the Republican primary 55% to 45%, but lost to

A. Joseph DeNucci A. Joseph DeNucci (August 30, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was a middleweight boxer and the Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Early life and career DeNucci started working at 10 in a bowling alley, picking up and racking pins. DeNuc ...

in the general election 63% to 37%.

Personal life and death

Robinson was married to Eleanor (Vittorini) Robinson for 65 years. They had two children. Robinson died on December 19, 2011, at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, William G. 1926 births 2011 deaths Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Boston Politicians from Malden, Massachusetts People from Melrose, Massachusetts