Edwin Ewing Roberts (December 12, 1870 – December 11, 1933) was an American attorney and politician from

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. He is best known for his service as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1911 to 1919, and mayor of

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

from 1923 to 1933.

Biography

Roberts was born and raised in Pleasant Grove, California. He attended the public schools and graduated from the

California State Normal School San Jose State University, San José State University traces back to 1857 when the institution operated as a normal school for the San Francisco Unified School District, San Francisco public school system. It grew in size and scope until May 2, 1862 ...

in 1891. He taught school in

Hollister, California Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, located in the Central Coast region of California, United States. With a 2020 United States census population of 41,678, Hollister is one of the most populous cities in the M ...

, from 1891 to 1897 and Empire, Ormsby County, Nevada from 1897 to 1899. After studying law while teaching school, Roberts was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1899 and commenced practice in

Carson City, Nevada Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,63 ...

. A Republican, he was district attorney of

Ormsby County Ormsby County was a county in Nevada Territory from 1861 to 1864 and in the State of Nevada from 1864 until 1969. It contained Carson City, the county seat, and later, the state capital, founded two years earlier. Name It was named after Majo ...

from 1900 to 1910. Beginning in 1912, he was a delegate to every state party convention and almost every national convention until 1932. In 1910, Roberts was a successful Republican candidate for the U.S. House. He was reelected three times, and served from March 4, 1911, to March 3, 1919. On April 5, 1917, he voted against U.S. entry into

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

against Germany. Roberts did not seek renomination in 1918, but was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate. He lost to Democrat Charles B. Henderson by a vote of 12,197 to 8,053, and relocated to

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

, where he re-established a law practice. In 1923, Roberts was elected mayor of Reno. He was reelected in 1927 and 1931, and served until his death. Roberts was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator in 1926 and

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

in 1930.

Death and burial

He died in Reno on December 11, 1933, one day before his 63rd birthday. Roberts was buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Reno.

Family

Roberts was married twice. His first wife, Nora S. Range died in 1926. In 1929, he married Sadie Tomamichael of Reno. With his first wife, he was the father of children Frederick, Bobbie, and Hazel. With his second wife, he was the stepfather of Wilma and J. J. Tomamichael. Roberts' daughter Hazel Lee Roberts was the wife of baseball pitcher

Walter Johnson Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "the Big Train", was an American professional baseball player and Manager (baseball), manager. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in Major League Ba ...

. They married in Roberts' Washington home on June 24, 1914, with the chaplain of the United States Senate presiding over the ceremony. Johnson served as a county commissioner in Maryland after his baseball career ended, and made an unsuccessful run for Congress as a Republican in 1940.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Edwin E. 1870 births 1933 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in Nevada Mayors of Reno, Nevada People from Sutter County, California Politicians from Carson City, Nevada Schoolteachers from California District attorneys in Nevada Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Nevada San Jose State University alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Biography

Death and burial

Family

See also

Notes

References