Charles D. Robinson (October 22, 1822 – September 25, 1886) was an American businessman and Democratic politician. He served as the 3rd Secretary of State of Wisconsin, and was the Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1866 and 1872.

Early life and education

Charles D. Robinson was born in

Marcellus, New York Marcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,210 at the 2010 census. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics. The Marcellus Form ...

. His father died when he was young, and he and his two siblings were raised by their mother. He was only formally educated until age twelve.

Early career

He arrived in Green Bay, then part of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

, on July 4, 1846. On August 13 of that year, he published the first edition of ''The Green Bay Advocate''—he continued publishing this paper until his death. In November 1849, Robinson was elected to his first public office as representative of Brown County to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

for the 3rd Wisconsin Legislature. Two years later, in November 1851, he was elected as the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidate for Wisconsin Secretary of State. He served for two years under Whig Party Governor Leonard J. Farwell. After leaving public office, he entered a partnership in the lumber business with future

United States Senator 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 powe ...

Timothy O. Howe and Charles E. Tyler. His brother-in-law, David Ballou, bought out the business in 1855, after a fire. The business prospered until 1859, when it succumbed to the ongoing effects of the Panic of 1857.

Civil War service

In the summer of 1861, after the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, Robinson enlisted for service with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. He was appointed to the staff of General Rufus King with the rank of Captain and assistant

Quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

. In this capacity, he supervised the raising of bridges to assist the movement of the army in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He became extremely ill while camped at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and was sent to New York to recuperate. He ultimately resigned his commission on April 21, 1864, and returned to Green Bay. It was said his illness had so changed his appearance that his mother did not recognize him.

Correspondence with President Lincoln

In 1864, after his resignation from the Army, Robinson sent a letter to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, delivered via Governor of Wisconsin Alexander Randall. Lincoln read his letter and responded with a four-page response dated August 17, 1864. In his response, Lincoln defends his decision on

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranch ...

as necessary for the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

cause. From Lincoln's response, it can be inferred that Robinson had written in opposition to abolition.

Postbellum years

Robinson returned to public office when he was elected Mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1866. And, in 1869, he was nominated by the Democratic Party as their candidate for Governor of Wisconsin. He was defeated in the November general election by incumbent Republican Governor

Lucius Fairchild Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the tenth Governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as Minister to Spain under presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Ja ...

, who earned his third term. During his one-year term as Mayor in 1866, he proposed the construction of the Green Bay & Lake Pepin Railway. In 1870, when the railroad was incorporated, Robinson was chosen as the first President of the company. He was re-elected Mayor of Green Bay in 1872. During this term, he advocated for the construction of the Sturgeon Bay Canal and supported the extension of the Milwaukee & Northern Railroad to Green Bay. In the summer of 1876, he was again struck by near-fatal illness and left Wisconsin to recuperate in New York.

Personal life and family

Charles D. Robinson married his first wife, Sarah A. Wilcox, on December 30, 1846, in Green Bay. They had two children together before her death in 1852. On July 12, 1854, Robinson remarried, this time to Abigail "Abbie" Colburn Ballou. Abbie was active in the management of Robinson's paper, the ''Advocate'', and took over as publisher of the paper when his health began to fail in 1881. She continued running the paper for two years after his death. Robinson died in Green Bay, September 25, 1886.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Charles D. Secretaries of State of Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of Green Bay, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War 1822 births 1886 deaths 19th-century American politicians