James William Robinson (January 19, 1878 – December 2, 1964) was an American attorney and politician who served as 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Utah's 2nd congressional district Utah's 2nd congressional district currently serves Salt Lake City and the largely rural western and southern portions of Utah, including Saint George and Tooele. The current U.S. House Representative is Republican Chris Stewart. A map of cur ...

from 1933 to 1947.

Early life and education

Born in

Coalville Coalville is an industrial town in the district of North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England, with a population at the 2011 census of 34,575. It lies on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Tr ...

in the

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...

, Robinson attended public schools. He graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1908 and received his

LL.B. Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the law school of the University of Chicago, a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It is consistently ranked among the best and most prestigious law schools in the world, and has many dis ...

in 1912.

Career

While attending college and law school. Robinson served as principal of Uinta Academy in

Vernal, Utah Vernal, the county seat and largest city in Uintah County is in northeastern Utah, approximately east of Salt Lake City and west of the Colorado border. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,089. The population has since grown t ...

, and Wasatch High School in Heber, Utah. He was admitted to the bar in 1912 and practiced law in Utah County, Utah from 1912 to 1933. Robinson served as county attorney of Utah County from 1918 to 1921 and was the Democratic candidate for attorney general of Utah in 1924. He served as member of the board of regents of the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

from 1925 to 1935. Robinson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Seventy-third and to the six succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1947). He served as chairman of the Committee on Public Lands ( Seventy-sixth and Seventy-seventh Congresses), Committee on Roads ( Seventy-eighth and Seventy-ninth Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress. He served as director of grazing in the Bureau of Land Management from January 3, 1947 to January 31, 1949. He then returned to

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

Personal life

Robinson died in

Escondido, California Escondido is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San Diego County. It has a population of 151,038 as of the 2020 census. Et ...

, December 2, 1964 and is buried in Provo City Cemetery, Provo.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, James William 1878 births 1964 deaths American Latter Day Saints Brigham Young University alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni University of Utah people Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah People from Coalville, Utah

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

Sources