Frederick Robinson (March 11, 1824 – April 11, 1893) was a

British American British Americans usually refers to Americans whose ancestral origin originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and also the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar). It is prima ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

, pharmacist, businessman, and politician. He served four terms as Mayor of

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Wisconsin, fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin, with a population of 99,986 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. S ...

, and served in 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Biography

Robinson was born on March 11, 1824, in

Church Stretton Church Stretton is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, south of Shrewsbury and north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671.

, in the West Midlands region of

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. He was the youngest of nine children and his father died when he was only two years old. At age 15 he became an apprentice to a

druggist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in order to dispense them safely to the pu ...

and learned under him for five years. In 1845, he emigrated by boat to America. He landed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

after a forty day trip and was soon employed at a drug store in that city. The following year, he moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and took a job with Sidney Sawyer. Sawyer wanted to establish a drug store in the city of Southport in the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and 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. Belm ...

(present day

) and sent Robinson there to set up and run the store. For the next four decades, Robinson would be the leading druggist in the city. Later in life, he would invest in other businesses in the area, and would serve as president of the First Bank of Kenosha and the M. H. Pettit Malting Company. In addition to his business interests, he was a farmer, a member of the

Knights Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...

, and the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political, non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Odd Fellows, Order ...

. On October 3, 1852, Robinson married Ann M. Bertholf in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

. Frederick and Ann had seven children. Their eldest daughter, Alma, married Ossian Marsh Pettit, the eldest son of fellow Kenosha Mayor, Milton Pettit. Frederick Robinson died on April 11, 1893.

Public career

Robinson was elected to represent

Kenosha County Kenosha County () is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,151, and was estimated to be 168,754 in 2024, making it the eighth-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its co ...

in the

during the 1872 and 1876 sessions. He was elected to one-year terms as Mayor of Kenosha in 1862, 1863, 1869, and 1879. He also served as a member of the Kenosha city council, a member of the school board, chairman of the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors, and Chief Engineer of the Kenosha Volunteer Fire Company. He was 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He was instrumental in the passage of the 1882 Wisconsin Pharmacy Act
1882 Wisconsin Act 167
, which established the State Board of Pharmacy to regulate the industry in the state, and was a member of the board until his death. He also successfully advocated for adding a department of pharmacy to the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

Electoral history

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1871 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1875

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Frederick People from Church Stretton English emigrants to the United States 19th-century English people Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members County supervisors in Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin 1824 births 1893 deaths 19th-century American pharmacists 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin Burials at Green Ridge Cemetery (Kenosha, Wisconsin)