John Marshall Robsion Jr. (August 28, 1904 – February 14, 1990) was an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician who served as a

United States representative 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 ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

from 1953 to 1959 and was the Republican nominee for

Governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; since 1992, incumbents have been able to seek re-e ...

in 1959. Robsion was born in Barbourville. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

and also attended

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

and the National War College. He worked as a congressional secretary from 1919 to 1928 and was admitted to the practice of law in 1926. Robsion briefly settled in

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

in 1928. He returned to Washington to serve as chief of the law division for the United States Bureau of Pensions from 1929 to 1935. Afterward he returned to Louisville to practice law, serving as general counsel for the Kentucky Republican Party from 1938 to 1942. Robsion served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1942 to 1946; he was posted to Africa, Italy, and Austria in that time. From 1946 to 1952 Robsion served as a circuit judge in Kentucky. In 1952, incumbent Louisville Congressman Thruston B. Morton decided against seeking another term in that seat. Robsion sought it and was elected to 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 ...

in 1952 from Kentucky's Third Congressional District (Louisville); he was re-elected to the House in 1954 and 1956. He sought re-election to the House in 1958 but was defeated by Democrat Frank W. Burke. Robsion did not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto and voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Robsion was the Republican nominee for

in 1959 but lost the election to Democrat Bert T. Combs. Combs won 516,549 votes (60.6%) to Robsion's 336,456 (39.4%); the 180,093-vote margin was then a record in a Kentucky state election, eclipsed overall only by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

's margin over

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

in the 1932 presidential election. After leaving Congress, Robsion returned to the practice of law. He was a resident of Louisville and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Robsion died in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on February 14, 1990, and was buried at

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

.
Robsion Park
in Lyndon, Ky. (Metro Louisville) is named for John M. Robison Jr. and his wife Laura (Drane) Robsion, who died in 1980. Robsion donated the land for the 17-acre park in 1985.

References

External links

Congressional biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robsion, John M. Jr. 1904 births 1990 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II George Washington University alumni Kentucky state court judges People from Barbourville, Kentucky Politicians from Louisville, Kentucky United States Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky 20th-century American lawyers George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery